Elizabeth Schechter's Blog, page 35

Mirror: Titles

It’s becoming more clear to me that Heir to the Firstborn is, in fact, the name of the series and not the name of the first book. Which means that in starting to look at covers, I’m also starting to think about titles.

I suppose it makes sense to riff on elements, since this started as the Elemental project. And I do already know the title of the first book. That was the easy one.

So, in no particular order, here are the tentative titles:

Written in Water (Book 1) Forged in Fire Bones of Ear...

Mirror: Sex and the Single Merman

Working on chapter 13, and I just wrote the first sex scene in Heir to the Firstborn. Chapter 13 will go up at the end of October.

The sex scene will not appear in chapter 13 at that time.

And, now that I’ve confused you, let me explain. Patreon is cracking down on adult content, and some creators have lost their accounts even if adult content was posted for Patrons only. Since I do not want to lose my Patreon, the sex scene in chapter 13 will be a fade to black, left to my readers most ferti...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week seven

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

43796 / 85000 (51.52%)

Half a book! Woohoo!

Things have been going really well on all fronts. I made my weekly words last night, so there was no writing done today. I made my monthly goals in the FFPRWA Monthly Challenge. It’s been a successful week all around.

In Ashes and Light, we now have a villain. Well, we’ve always had a villain, but now he’s on-screen, as it were. Here’s the grand entrance, with a little explanation. A church grim is...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week six

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

38041 / 85000 (44.75%) Nothing like remembering that you forgot the weekly blog update just as you’re about to fall asleep. So here we are, starting week seven. I’m well ahead of where I should be, which is good. It’s good especially since I think I have to shuffle the chapters I’ve already written. I started Ashes and Light with Douglas and Margaret, in the Victorian era. Looking back at what I’ve written already, though, I think I really...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week five

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

32378 / 85000 (38.09%) Just barely made my word-counts this week.  It’s been a busy week of non-writing related stuff, and while I’ve thought a lot about writing, I haven’t actually accomplished as much as I wanted to! I’m not behind — not by a long shot. But I’ve lost a little of the momentum I’d gained. I’ll be fixing that this week! Part of that delay was the usual — writing a sex scene. The blocking on sex scenes and fight scenes always...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week four

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

26938 / 85000 (31.69%) It’s always a good thing when you can take a day off and still be ahead on your work. Today, I was a zombie — allergy attack in the middle of the night means Benadryl coma means Liz is a zombie the next day. But I didn’t lose a day in writing because I’m already a day ahead. I’ve spent time the past few days writing my least favorite character — Ganelon. Usually, villains are fun for me to write, and I have to be rein...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week three

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

21237 / 85000 (24.98%)

Just like that, quarter of a book.

The research bits this week have all involved the intricacies of Charlemagne’s siege of Zaragosa — exactly why the Franks were there, who was manipulating whom, and the ongoing conflicts between the two caliphates that were vying for control of al-Andalus. So basically, I’ve had a crash course in Dark Ages Poly Sci, which I then condensed to about a quarter of a chapter.

***

“I was not...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, week 2

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

12824 / 85000 (15.09%) So, did Victorian men’s trousers have buttons or hooks at the waist?  That’s what stopped me tonight, and sent me running to the research rabbit hole.  (The answer? Buttons. They had buttons.)

 

Ashes and Light is coming along nicely. I’m into chapter 4, and I might have finished it if it hadn’t been for those darned buttons.  Heir to the Firstborn is also coming along nicely, and I’m finding that I have to leave it fo...

Work in Progress: Ashes and Light, Week 1

Ashes and Light
Swords of Charlemagne, Book 3

7212 / 85000 (8.48%) Not bad for a first week. I hadn’t realized that I was missing Margaret and Douglas until I dove back into their world. two chapters in, not sure how many more are to come. There was also over 6K words written on Heir to the Firstborn, which is humming along nicely. I just dropped my first mountain on my MC. It’s a little one. There are bigger ones to come. (teehee — for mine is an evil writer laugh!) I do have to say...

What’s the story, Wishbone?

(Anyone else remember that show?)

Here we are in August, and it’s time for school to start again. Which means that it’s time for me to start again.

I’m coming off a fantastic weekend at Indie Book Fest, a convention that I think is going to be a regular thing for me from now on. Even though I had a nasty case of food poisoning on Thursday night, I still had an amazing time, and I met a bunch of wonderful writers and readers.  Cannot wait for next year!

(I really like this picture!)

In o...