Tiffany Shearn's Blog, page 4

Sports Saturday!

After three events and over twenty thousand steps, I am still tired from yesterday!

The day began early with the Jamboree for the Federal Way National Little League teams. My company (not the author one) sponsored the organization this year, so I arrived early with my mascot to celebrate and support the players. As my mascot has a giant globe for a head, yesterday being Earth Day was a bonus.

From there, I scooped up my nephew, and we headed to
Seattle for an extended double-header of soccer. The OL Reign played at 12:30 at Lumen Field. They started strong, with two early goals from Balcer, but they kept letting the Red Stars back in the game. There are some things to look at on the defensive side, but the scoring came through on the day with a final score of 5-2. For a team that has struggled to put away their shots, this was a nice change.

After a bit of rain at the start, the sun came out for the Reign.

I called the day an “extended double-header” because we had about five hours between games to kill. Dinner would take up some before the Sounders played at 7:30, but a good chunk of available time remained. Earlier in the week, I saw an ad for the WNDR Museum in Seattle. The pictures looked cool, so I thought we would check out the art. Unfortunately, this one has put me off of future “art experiences.”

The price was steep, coming in over $70 for one adult and one youth admission. I saw this on the website in advance and have been to museums worth such admission prices. This was simply too small to justify the price tag. The main attraction had a separate waitlist clocking in at over two hours. I could have spent two days at the WWII museum in New Orleans, but the WNDR was smaller than the brewery restaurant we went to for dinner. You could read everything, interact with each section, and still not add up to the wait for the main event. My nephew was nowhere near entertained enough to stretch it out that long.

We gave up waiting, I kissed my money goodbye on a lesson learned, and we went to get some ice cream instead. Next time, I’m saving my $70 and will take it to Pike Place Market instead. I would have loved to try some of the items there, maybe getting a gift or two. We walked from the museum to the market, then back past the stadium for dinner, meeting up with the rest of the family.

Our evening capped off with a Sounders victory. At 1-0, and the goal not coming until around the seventy-ninth minute, the game was not nearly as decisive, but it was fun either just the same. Back to the light rail for the ride home, and I had passed the twenty-thousand-step mark for the day. With his shorter legs, I’m sure my nephew exceeded my number.

I need a nap just thinking about it again!

Upcoming Updates!

There are three parts of my life, and I’m not talking physical, spiritual, and essential this time (if you get that reference, thank you for reading my books and leaving a review!). I have writing, my personal life, and the job paying the bills. In that order, I write progressively fewer specifics about what is happening.

On the job front, this week was rough. I feel overwhelmed, wrung out, and a bit dejected. Feeling this way in one area tends to bleed over and make me feel behind in others, so I will keep this week’s post shorter to help me “catch up.” 

For your reading pleasure, here are a few highlights and upcoming events:

Cover Reveal!

The book cover is complete! It will be shared here and on social media in two to four weeks, but it is going out in the newsletter today! You might have another hour or two, as of this writing, to sign up and see it first. 

My new artist did a wonderful job of aligning with the feel of the other series covers while bringing his own artistic touch. The art is beautiful, and the scene gives you the tiniest glimpse into the fairy sanctuaries. 

Events & Book Signings!

I have three events lined up to sell signed copies of my books already this year: 

Dragon Egg Hunt – Tacoma, WA – 4/30/23Put on by the charity org Wizards of Washington, and it’s free to the public. They have a variety of vendors and will be hosting an egg hunt!I will have a booth where you can buy signed copies or bring your own copy for me to sign!Spring Fairy Market – Tacoma, WA – 5/20/23This is an annual event hosted by Crescent Moon Gifts. They are “Washington’s largest metaphysical gift shop and healing arts center,” and this event brings in vendors both metaphysical and fantastical.Washington Midsummer Renaissance Faire – Monroe, WA – Aug 2023The faire is moving to Monroe this year after outgrowing the previous location in Bonney Lake. I hope most of the regular faire goers can still attend at this new location as well as many additional people with the expanding capacity. Hidden Promise Release!

I have eight chapters to polish this weekend and most beta adjustments are complete. My editor is prepared to receive the manuscript on Monday, and I only hope I don’t have to stay up too late Sunday to get it to her. I’m on schedule with some buffer time to give the editor corrections a good review as well, so we are on track for the June release. 

The release date listed is for the ebook. The paperback will take another week or two, depending on how many fixes I need to do to the formatting based on my test copies (once they are shipped and received). You can preorder the ebook at a discounted price now. It will go up after release. For the paperback, I can’t do preorders, and pricing and such all depend on printing costs. More to come. 

Thank you!

This post ended a bit longer than I expected, but there is a lot going on! I also wanted to say “thank you” to everyone who has left a review on my books. On Amazon, I am currently at 38 reviews for Hidden Memory and 21 for Hidden Sanctuary. My goal is to hit the magical number of 50 this year, and I can’t do that without your help and support. 

Have a great weekend!

Control of Skullport

We had another entertaining session of D&D this week. This one felt especially well-rounded from the perspective of character role diversity. The rogue snuck around, spying out the landscape while the battle master scouted the enemies for strategic knowledge. In one fight, there was an epic mage duel, and the halfling monk got to run through the effects of a Cloud Kill spell to end the threat.

Overall, the session had great party dynamics with creative use of individual skills and abilities. They also did a great job of leveraging their contacts and connections to minimize their risk of exposure while still taking action to gather the needed intelligence. I next need to figure out what that intelligence will be, but this approach also gives me more time to make the information more dynamic. This part of the role-playing of D&D is fun for me, and I’m enjoying how the players are interacting with the world.

The latest decision on their plate is “Who should control Skullport?” None of their options are good. It is Undermountain, after all. Xanathar’s Guild, their current nemesis, holds sway over the underground town. A Drow house from the Underdark is making a play for it, but they are limited to river access, with a long-established group of hobgoblins controlling the other primary access points from level three of Undermountain.

Those hobgoblins have asked the players for help recovering something stolen. The recent theft has placed them at a distinct disadvantage, and the group finds themselves caught between the Drow threat and continuing pressure from Xanathar’s Guild – who the players find out have already been infiltrating the hobgoblins via strategic placement of intellect devourers. Azrok, the hobgoblin leader, is already hosting an unwanted guest from Xanather that he cannot afford to refuse.

The hobgoblins are likely the ideal group of the three to help give control of Skullport, but they might already be too far gone to help. Xanathar’s Guild wants them dead on sight, with a bounty on their heads for the “theft” of massive wealth up in Waterdeep. Then again, are Drow who attack intruders on sight likely to be good and gentle stewards who will allow them free passage if they gain control? Can any of them be trusted?

Probably not, but it makes for interesting gameplay. Skullport is likely to be a recurring visit as the group continues, so I’m excited to see the long-play on this and how the situation evolves over time…as long as they don’t TPK before then.

Mwahahahahah!

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I have been thinking more about recycling and reusing various materials, especially packing materials. The goal, as always, is to minimize waste, but there is always a point at which the cost outweighs the gains. That point is different for everyone, but it is why we reuse and recycle as much as we can.

I recently received a large pallet of supplies for my new business. It was constructed of wood products, very sturdy, and held together with screws. We considered using it to fix our shed floor but thought the material was a bit too thin to work for flooring. Instead of dragging it to the dumpster, we posted it on Offer Up, and someone was there to get it within a few hours.

There are often local ways to take certain materials to people and organizations that can put them to use or give them a second life. Unfortunately, with the variety of materials in our lives, figuring out what goes where can be a daunting task. The more complicated something becomes, the less likely it is to be executed to completion. The way they remove challenges is why I have been rather impressed with Ridwell.

Ridwell

The company (https://www.ridwell.com/) has engaged with several local partners to take difficult-to-recycle materials and give them new life. One of the most consistent we have for them is the plastic film, which includes plastic grocery bags. We usually bring our own bags for shopping, but during the pandemic, the curb-side pickup we used sent more home with us than necessary. This category also includes external plastic packaging on things like toilet paper.

They feature unique things on a rotating basis and take some specialty items for a small price per filled bag. You sign up and, each time, let them know what you have. They take the full bag and leave an empty one in its place for the next time. We now collect things like cleaned chip bags, mesh veggie bags, and styrofoam to send in when we have a sufficient amount.

The padded envelopes are for shipping signed books, but the rest is our bundles saved for Ridwell.

The next time you find yourself throwing some of these things in the trash, consider looking to see if Ridwell or a service like it is in your area!

Happy April, and have a great weekend!

Player vs Reader

Yesterday I hosted one of our periodic Saturday D&D sessions. They are always fun, with way too many salty and sugary snacks to munch on and ruin our dinner, which we eat even though we are still ninety percent full. In general, it is always a good time had by all, with enough breaks to satisfy our need for generic conversation between bouts of role-playing. 

My books came up at some point (yay!). I am happy to report my alpha reader is “enjoying the fourth book so far.” The combination of discussing my books and an article my partner is reading about the art of game mastering set us thinking about the different approaches needed for a player audience compared to a reading audience. 

I believe the article he is reading was written by The Angry GM, as he follows that creator for TTRPG content. The article referenced how the GM should present the facts to the players: what their PCs (player characters) sense or perceive. However, they should not provide what the PCs intuit. My second-hand understanding is that the argument for this is that a TTRPG, by its nature, can only challenge the players mentally. Making intuitive connections for them takes away from that challenge. 

Writing for my readers, I am presenting the story and the characters. My characters must figure out the puzzles and face the challenges thrown in their path. The reader joins Annalla on her journey, perceiving the world through her experience and thoughts. They might figure something out before her and feel proud when their assumption proves correct, or they could be surprised by a curve I throw their way. Perhaps my character’s thoughts or actions reveal a twist to them that they did not intuit with the meager literary breadcrumbs provided. 

For writing my books, it does not matter as much if the reader catches those clues or not. My cleverly laid trail will reveal itself eventually. Perhaps the books deserve another read-through to find all the little pieces missed on the first pass that become so clear at the end. Some of my favorite books include this aspect, and it does not even need to be a massive twist. Sometimes the smallest reveals are the most memorable. 

Unfortunately, when it comes to my D&D game, I need the players to put the clues together, and the task is made more challenging with a boxed campaign. With a homebrew campaign, I could utilize common references, but with a pre-made campaign, I must try to translate to our common references where I can or hope they do at least some investigation. 

Breadcrumbs

I told my players multiple times they should not treat this dungeon like a run-and-gun, first-person shooter. Each level is like a little town with factions, social dynamics, the town proper, and the outskirts. If they run through the place fighting everything and everyone they come across, they will end up with a total party wipe and effectively lose the game. 

After facing a large group of hostile Drow in the prior session, they started the day by scouting to get the lay of the land. They found the river and some rafts, evidence of fighting, evidence of Drow killing troglodytes, more Drow watching the river, and a good size hobgoblin patrol guarding one area. Their eventual decision is to lure the hobgoblins into an ambush so they can get past them. It’s not a bad decision, and I liked the planning that went into the approach and thinking about using their scouting and the terrain to their advantage. They also had some hostile encounters with hobgoblins on prior levels, so assuming hostility was not unwarranted. 

However, there are two lingering concerns in my mind. First, they did not really interact much with the breadcrumbs left for them. The biggest oversight was the evidence of fighting throughout the tunnels. They asked if they could discern anything from the blood on the floor, but only once when they peeked at it from around a corner, down the hall across the room. “No, you are too far away.” They did not ask again. 

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DM: “You see a fork in the road with a signpost between the paths hidden behind some brush.”

Players: “We go to the right.”

Part of the problem was the troglodytes. Their presence likely pushed an incorrect assumption on the players. While they are perfectly fine questioning me at every turn, they firmly believe their assumptions are infallible. I can try to minimize the troglodyte red herrings, but the other issue is for them to address before I stop beating them over the head with the breadcrumbs and start leaving the trail as intended. 

The second concern came when the attempt to lure the hobgoblins out failed. Instead of chasing, they called out, “Who goes there?” When the unexpected happens, you often have three options: fight, flight, or freeze. In reaction terms here: attack them, flee to regroup, or hold your ground and have a chat. In my opinion, you can always attack. That should generally be the last course of action because it effectively eliminates your other options. After attacking, you can’t talk to them, you limit your ability to escape, and potentially add another enemy to a growing list. 

Any conversation, no matter how short, is an opportunity for information gathering. Rather than talking, though, the players effectively said, “Well, the ambush is off. Charge!”

Forward

We only play once a month, so I cannot expect them to follow the long, meandering trail of information without some guiding lights from me. However, the immediate, in-session breadcrumbs bear a reasonable expectation of being gleaned and followed. 

I will not remove this aspect and nerf the levels to allow for a run-and-run playstyle, as I don’t think that kind of game is fun for long. The little clues make the world more alive and engage the players’ minds. As the article (as told to me) said, rolling a fourteen on a D20 is not a challenge for the players. It’s the little puzzles and discoveries making up the meat of the game. If we don’t find the happy balance, the Half-Pints will become lost in Undermountain forever, disappearing as so many adventuring parties before them. 

Deadlines and Demands

Managing multiple demands can be challenging, and it’s easy to feel overwhelmed. I mentioned in another post about starting a business, and for the last six weeks, I have been in “kick-off” mode to get it moving forward. On top of that, the third book in my series, Hidden Promise, is due for release in less than three months. I have to finish it and decide on a new cover artist. 

Businesswoman

For the first couple of weeks, I was putting all my time into this and paying attention to nothing else. My stress elevated, my sleep depleted, and I knew it would be unsustainable. I can’t run at that speed and not burn out, so I had to find a better balance. 

My first step was to assess my goals and identify the ones I was okay failing at. I’m a perfectionist, and this is one of the most difficult things for me, but when you have twenty hours of work and only ten hours in which to do it, some things will fall to the bottom. I had to decide what those were for me, and look at potential partial successes instead of “winning” at everything. While I’m still putting in a lot of hours, this has helped me carve out and recover a little time. 

Hidden Promise

I have received some great beta reader feedback and started working out ideas for revisions and adjustments. Fortunately, I have great alpha readers, so it will not require major rewrites. I would have liked another one or two beta readers to get some eyes on it, but I’m out of time. I have one month to squeeze in enough hours for the changes, and I will need every moment. 

My manuscript upload is due the first week of June, so I need it back from my editor with time to do a final review of the edits and corrections. Once I hit the “Publish” button on this one, I might take it easy on writing for the rest of June before starting up on my next project. My alphas already have Hidden Strenght to read, and this next book will be YA/NA genre, so closer to the 50-80k word mark instead of the 95-120k I have been writing. 

Time will tell. Who knows if I can actually mentally sit still for a whole month. 

Me Time

One of the most important things I do to manage multiple demands is to make time for self-care. I am striving to reprioritize spending time with loved ones. My husband and I halted our daily walks for a while since I was working so late, but we started back up again. Even if we shorten it to a smaller block, it is worth the time to step away, talk, and unwind.

Ultimately, managing multiple demands requires patience, discipline, and knowing when to be flexible. It’s important to be kind to yourself and to recognize that you can do less if you burn yourself out than by setting boundaries. I guess time will tell if I’m finding the right balance.

Sounders game this morning, and I’m trying to get at least another hour of revising in today. Happy Saturday, all!

Artist Search

You may have seen the post on Facebook recently where I announced that the artist for the first two books in my series is unavailable to continue with the third. I will eventually need to change all the covers to something more “action scene” oriented, but I have always wanted the first runs to be more artistic. These magnificent scenes played out in my head as the world came to life within my imagination. 

Jonathan Lebel did amazing work taking my stick figures and descriptions and turning them into beautiful imagery. 

The first is a scene from early in Hidden Memory when Annalla is still within the traken forest. She has her borrowed blade and boots, with her wings wrapped around her. 

The second is from Hidden Sanctuary when Annalla arrives at the river crossing. This is just before the events unfold (you know which events I’m referring to if you have read this one). 

Onto the Third

I want to continue in this same vein for the third and fourth before I look at shifting the style of all four, so the hunt is on for a new artist who can capture the same grandeur of my fantastical world. The cover of Hidden Promise will be an image of their arrival in the sanctuary, flying through and providing a glimpse of how and where the people live. 

My terrible sketch and description have gone to one artist, and I have reached out to a few others, so I hope to have a cover to show you in the April newsletter. It might be out a little later than my usual mid-month Saturday, but I hope it will be worth the wait. 

As for the cover of the fourth, you will have to wait until next year for more information on that one!

Have a great weekend!

My Grammar Police

Today is National Grammar Day! I don’t know if most authors are like me, but I’m much better at story than the grammar part of writing. I’m the “idea person.” With that limitation in mind, I reach out for assistance on this aspect of my work; the bigger the production, the more help involved. 

For blog articles, I’m simply writing in Grammarly’s free version. It’s straightforward and easy to use. It catches the more glaring mistakes, and I feel fine ignoring it sometimes when the suggestions are not fitting my flow. The web add-on also helps with grammar basics when writing my book’s first drafts. I do those chapter by chapter in AutoCrit, which provides some advice on pacing, overusing words, and other such, less-grammatical advice. 

Those are the basic tools. The real work comes from a couple of individuals at two specific stages of the book drafts. During the alpha review stage, my husband provides editing and feedback including catching glaring grammatical errors. Those pull him out of stories, so he finds more. While my other alphas help with story points and feedback, he helps provide a cleaner draft for my beta readers. A cleaner beta draft means the beta feedback is that much more valuable. 

The second person correcting any remaining grammar issues is my editor, Maxine Meyer. You will find her credited in my copyright as the editor, and she does an amazing job. I’m working on becoming more consistent with my tense usage, but that is the one she probably finds and fixes the most. I also have a love/hate relationship with commas. I love using them and hate their limited (appropriate) usage. 

Maxine cleans up the final manuscript before I submit for publication, and it is a crucial step in the process. Any and all remaining errors are mine alone, and she helps me get that as close to zero as possible for your reading pleasure. (Note: I only scribbled out the prices on the main pic as prices change over time and internet pics are forever!)

Hidden Promise

Hidden Promise is back in my hands with some beta reader feedback. I have a few minor adjustments to make, but I should have the manuscript in Maxine’s hands by mid-late April. This places me right in line for my release timetable of mid-June! I’ve gotten some great feedback from my beta readers, and my alpha readers have started on the series finale. I’m excited to share with you all how things are coming together in Hidden Promise and how it ends in Hidden Strength next year. 

As a reminder, Hidden Promise is only $3.99 until its release. The price will go up to $4.99 after go-live, so don’t forget to preorder!

Have a great weekend, and “Go Sounders!”

Nerd Party 2023!

Last year’s Nerd Party was my first-ever book signing event, so the annual mini-fair has a special place in my heart. It initially surprised me how many people showed up and wandered through the shops and displays. This year looked to be even bigger. There were more artists, more authors, added special guests, and still the same displays that were such a draw last time. Even with the pending inclement weather, it did not disappoint.

I did not get an opportunity to wander around the different stores, so I can only tell you about and share pictures from my little area. I was between two other local authors I have had the pleasure of booth-buddying with previously: J. P. Barnett and Maria Giakoumatos. We work well together as we are all in the fantasy realm, but fit into different sub-niches to suit any fantasy book tastes. The former has a series about two college girls hunting monsters instead of going to class. The latter has a spooky fantasy series involving vampires, demons, and other occult themes.

Mr. J. P. Barnett took to calling our area in the back of the comic shop the “author and artist cave” because, with the three of us, there were two artists as well (Maria has art in addition to her books too!). You can see their info in the picture here to check out their work.

Tori drew the frog (I love frogs!) while at the event.

How did I do? Well, I exceeded my goal for the evening. I think most people attended early, as it slowed down after the first couple of hours. The threat of snow kept some visitors away this year, but we heard they are shifting the Nerd Party to a warmer month in 2024. Hopefully, more people will be able to attend then. To anyone reading this who bought something from one of us in the author and artist cave, thank you for your support!

I’m now off to the Sounders’ season openers, so…until next year, fellow nerds!

Happy Birthday (to me)!

I have never celebrated Valentine’s Day because my birthday is so close. One year I was supremely irritated because the holiday fell on the weekend closest to my birthday. My family tried to go out for a birthday dinner and it was insanity. Parking was impossible. There was an almost two-hour wait to get into any restaurant. I was in my teens at the time and had a teenage breakdown (not so bad where my parents went into “don’t make me turn this car around” mode).

Since that day, I have been hyperaware of the holiday’s proximity to my desired family meal day. The latter is this afternoon, and we are going to a local Korean BBQ place. This will be my grandmother’s first time trying it, so we’ll see what she thinks. I suspect she will like the sweeter marinades the best and not care as much for the spicy sides. 

A friend also sent me the flowers in the main picture, which was very thoughtful. Other than that, I’m planning to take it pretty easy this weekend. I’ll polish another six to ten chapters of Hidden Strength to send off to my alpha readers. I have just over twenty chapters left to send, so I’m hoping to get those out before the beta feedback for Hidden Promise comes in. 

Though, I should also reach out to the cover artist if I want to have that done in time for the April newsletter…Okay, maybe “take it easy” is a bit of an overstatement, but these are busy times, and there are only so many days between deadlines!