Lisa M. Collins's Blog, page 3
April 1, 2016
March 29, 2016
It is #CampNaNoWriMo time!
You can join us by signing up at Camp NaNo, just click here. Each week I’ll be sending y’all a postcard right here on my site. I have a great cabin crew this year. Our fearless leader is T. Mike McCurley. If you haven’t read his Jericho Sims tales, get thee to a bookstore, and pronto! Along with myself there is the belle of the ball, Phyl Campbell! Phyl’s Mother Confessor will keep you wide awake and hiding under your bunk,
February 12, 2016
Interview with Shannon Muir: THE DAME DID IT
Shannon Muir’s fiction is both to entertain as well as explore issues of the the human condition and female identity, primarily with female protagonists. The genres she delves into in include mystery, fantasy, science fiction, as well as thought-provoking stories in contemporary settings.
I was wondering where you get your story ideas?
For New Pulp and Genre Fiction, I take a different approach than I do most other writing I’ve done. My contemporary writings that I’ve self-published are inspired by observation of things in live and then wondering what things might be like if the situation were tweaked. When it comes to the New Pulp and Genre Fiction, everything I’ve done has all been period pieces, so I can’t approach those from modern observation, but I can think about an item and wonder about a “what if?” scenario and follow it to its conclusion.
Let me illustrate this by breaking down the New Pulp and Genre Fiction stories I’ve had published so far with my primary publisher, Pro Se Press. “Tragic Like a Torch Song” in THE DAME DID IT was done for anthology with one premise, and that was I needed a female lead in a pulp action story. That’s a pretty broad canvas, so I looked at what kinds of things women could be doing at the height of the pulp area and knew entertainment was a large area. However, I’d written another story relatively recently with an actress, so I didn’t want to be quite that repetitive. Another area I really appreciate is that of music, and in college I started a still running program on our university jazz station dedicated to Women of Jazz. That got me thinking of torch music and torch singers and from there the starting premise was born, which also gave me a great opportunity to use my poetry background to do song lyrics for this story. I made her the daughter of a gumshoe to give her some knowledge for the action angle and for some character moments. The question is this story of one is what would happen if the daughter of a murdered gumshoe, who happens to be a torch singer, finds out the truth about his death and wants revenge.
The NEWSHOUNDS story “Pretty as a Picture,” based on characters and concepts created by Pro Se Press, needed a slightly different approach. For this, writers received what is known as a “bible” in the writing industry, outlined major character histories and basic guidelines for the world. In cases like these, which are also true when creating ideas for television shows, writers need to look between the lines and find one of those “what if?” moments that spring naturally out of the information provided. Through one of the character’s provided backgrounds, I noticed one of them had a daughter he hadn’t seen in years. From here, the question became “What would happen if this character ran into a woman he thought might be his long lost daughter?”, on which I built a premise for an appropriate plot that would allow this to occur. By the nature of my ideas the two female characters in the group play strong roles in it. In classic Pulp and genre fiction, this would have been less likely to happen. Since this is New Pulp and Genre Fiction, that gives leeway to expand on traditional expectations to a point, and also put me in my then comfort zone of writing with female leads. I’m happy to say I’ve since moved beyond that, but it helped as an entry point.
“Ghost of the Airwaves,” a single standalone short story release in the Pro Se Press Single Shot line, came about because I’d only had one story published with Pro Se Press and wanted to get more exposure for myself. Not finding any new anthology calls that met my interests, I noticed Pro Se Press had now-discontinued anthology magazine that was open to any story submission as long as it fit the genre. “Ghost of the Airwaves” basically is a wondering about a live action television script I did in college that received recognition through a college honor society, about a modern day radio DJ whose wife passed away and the obsessive fan that hides out to in the station to trap him on his Valentine’s Day broadcast. That story is still very near and dear to my heart, but I wanted to do something that was both a gender and a period reversal, but I was limited to what roles a woman would have in an earlier time period. That’s how my DJ became radio actress Abigail Hanson. The end result was that the magazine folded soon after it was submitted, but all submissions were considered for the Single Shot release format, but that took a year to happen.
You probably are noticing a pattern by now that my questions of possibility, no matter how much action surrounds the actual plot, actually are rooted in character. Sometimes I’ll use a scenario or situation as my springboard, but that is an exception for me, not a rule.
What is the usual process for your fiction writing? Are you a plotter or a pantser?
I’m still not fully comfortable with what these terms mean, just as I wasn’t when I first encountered the term pantser in an interview I did in 2012. I looked at that answer and my thoughts haven’t changed in four years. Honestly, it depends on the book and how much power I have to change things up. When I’ve self-published my personal non-New Pulp and Genre Fiction projects, I am definitely a pantser because it’s my sandbox and I make the rules. That doesn’t mean I don’t go in with intent of what I’ll do, but I feel very free to go where the story leads.
When it comes to the New Pulp and Genre Fiction, I must be a plotter by necessity. These stories are done for publishers who approved a summarized version of the story first, called a proposal (when I’ve worked in television animation, it’s a similar process, but that document is called a premise). Either way, when the publisher accepts the proposal, you’ve agreed on a set story that must be done a set way, to get from an agreed upon beginning to its conclusion. In this case, stories must be outlined to make sure there is a solid roadmap to get from the major points. However, it doesn’t prevent smaller unplanned discoveries from occurring within the plotted scenes.
The only New Pulp and Genre Fiction item where I’ve been a complete pantser was “Ghost of the Airwaves,” the short story I mentioned earlier. After creating the character of Abigail Hanson, and saying she would experience a similar plotline to the modern day story I’d previously done, everything else was by the seat of my pants to create that world. I’d love to do a full follow-up book to that story, which was always my hope once I discovered the new characters, but the story hasn’t sold well enough yet (hopefully because people just don’t know it is out there) or gotten any feedback so I’m not sure there’d be interest. There’s definitely a plotted tale waiting in the wings if enough people were. However, I’m still glad to have told it.
I suppose to a certain extent “Tragic Like a Torch Song” was a pantser situation, as I had very little criteria to meet for inclusion in that volume, none of which dictated any aspect of the plot. Still, in order to make sure I met the expectations of the anthology, I did need to pay strong attention that the plot stayed consistent.
Once you have an idea that sparks your imagination do you research your idea or do any world-building exercises, or do you just begin to write and see where the Muse takes you?
As mentioned, all the New Pulp and Genre Fiction is based on writing proposals to be accepted, often by parameters defined by the publisher since they have all been calls for items that the publishers either set the theme, or in some cases hold the rights, as in the case of NEWSHOUNDS where the characters and their world were developed by Pro Se Press and writers pitched stories to be written in that pre-defined universe (much like pitching for an animated series). In these cases, research must be done up front to see if the idea in mind is even viable enough to work, especially since as I mentioned earlier these pieces tend to be period in nature. As I outline, or even work on the full story, I continue to research as I go along. With my own writing, I do tend to go where the muse takes me.
With my own works, I tend to research less and write and let the Muse lead, unless I’ve found myself dealing with areas that are not modern day. I don’t like writing myself great stuff that just isn’t historically possible. I’ve stopped doing great, flowing scenes if the nagging historical concern is too great. I don’t’ want to waste effort just to have to toss something.
What is your daily writing time like?
Usually, I try to get up and devote the first hour of my morning to write as much as I can, or rewrite as much as I can, on whatever I’m working on. For the next six months though, this schedule may not be as daily as I would like. In addition to working a full time job, I’m also currently enrolled in my final marketing classes for my Certificate in General Business Studies with a Concentration in Marketing from UCLA Extension. This has allowed me to create a course of study that focuses specifically on digital marketing, with my electives being drawn from introductory courses to several programming languages, and marketing specific courses on areas such as social media, digital analytics, and brand management. This means my writing and my homework time will be in competition for the next little while. However, as a writer needs to know how to promote his or her work, I firmly believe it is worth the tradeoff.
Are you a full time writer? If so when did you make the decision and what factors led to the decision? If you are not a full time writer…Is your plan to one day being a full time writer?
As much as I’d love to be a full-time writer, it’s absolutely impossible for me at this time, and I’ve made peace with the idea that it probably never will be, even though I originally moved to Los Angeles in 1996 with hopes that would be my full-time career. However, writing prose, animation, and other forms of content creation are definitely a business for me. I don’t treat it as a hobby and never have, probably because I dreamed of it as being my full time career when I was younger. Others may have wanted to be doctors, firefighters, princesses, super heroes, or other things. For me, the only thing I can ever remember wanting to be is a writer. The reality is, the industry has changed so much that with anyone able to provide content – be it self-published books or videos animated at small home studios and shared on YouTube – the whole nature of content creation and distribution has changed and evolved.
Can you tell us about your experience working with publishers, as well as in self-publishing?
Pro Se Press is the main publisher I’ve worked with. In terms of fiction, I’ve sold one story to Emby Press for their SUPER HERO MONSTER HUNTER collection, and years ago dealt with a startup called Foursided MFNA for a book ARIA KALSAN: MYSTERIES OF THE FUTURE which was a story based on a provided “bible” as I described in an earlier question. Also, I’ve published textbooks on the animation industry (that now appear to be out of print), and dealing with those kind of publishers is a completely different process. Also, I’ve done some self-publishing as I mentioned, but I believe I am best challenged – and better positioned for marketing – writing for publishers. While I have the skills to do things on my own, I also really like the accountability to others and the fact it provides new challenges.
Since I’ve done the most with Pro Se Press, I’ll talk about them in a little more detail. I think the main reason I could become part of the whole New Pulp and Genre Fiction movement is their large number of anthology calls and their openness to considering new talent. There are other publishers in this area, but they seem to have only a few and well more established writers in their ranks. That’s not necessarily a bad thing, because they may excel at marketing a few prolific names well, and that’s great if so because we should all play to our strengths; I’m saying if so because this may not be the case, and I’m just conveying my own personal perceptions. Pro Se Press isn’t a large staff, but they care about what they do, especially the passionate and big-hearted Editor-in-Chief Tommy Hancock. His passion for his work pulsates through the whole brand and it shows, but you don’t have to take my word for it. When Tommy Hancock faced some major medical issues recently, the whole New Pulp fiction community rallied around him and created this incredible volume to raise money for him called LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION, which was put out by another publishing 
house, Airship 27. At the time writing calls were announced, my husband Kevin Paul Shaw Broden and I were weeks away from getting married so we totally missed out on being part of it in that way. However, each story has an illustration, and they still needed artists. My husband also does artwork in the pulp style, so ended up contributing the illustration that goes with Ralph L. Angelo Jr.’s “Against Fire and Stone” as part of the collection. I’m so happy that we both didn’t miss out on getting to help, as Pro Se Press and Tommy Hancock in particular has been important to both our careers. In Kevin’s case, not only has Pro Se Press published his first stories, but also gave him a first published cover opportunity as the cover artist for NEWSHOUNDS.
Though I had no direct involvement in it being made, I’m also thrilled to know that a story I’ve done is now available in audiobook form. NEWSHOUNDS, which contains my first published story for Pro Se Press, came out in early February 2016. I am so grateful Pro Se Press was willing to work with companies like Radio Archives to make this happen, and another reason I really appreciate working with them. While well aware the other New Pulp and Genre Fiction publishers have audiobooks, again this is a case of deciding that a book including new talent was worthy of audio production (the three authors are my husband, myself, and the better known name J. Walt Layne). I first developed an appreciation for audio books years ago when I worked as a temporary assistant in the division of the Braille Institute where readers recorded books on proprietary formats for those with vision issues. Now, great books can be available to those with vision issues and others such as busy travelers, on so many more topics now that they are much more mass market. That job was a humbling experience for me, because my storytelling experience up to that point had been totally thinking of visual mediums – video and print. It made me realize, to my humility, that entertainment was evolving in such a way that certain parts of society would be denied more and more storytelling. To that end, I am so glad to see the mass marketing of books in audio form. Storytelling must be accessible to all.
What is your current release and (without spoilers) tell us about the new book or series.
THE DAME DID IT is the current anthology I’m in. As I said before, it is a wide cross section of women in action stories. There are four in total, and in my personal estimation I’m the most medium boiled of the bunch, but that has to do with my style. Also, interestingly enough, I’m also the only female writer in the collection.
I’m still working on something that hopefully will be my upcoming new release in the near future, and that Pro Se Press has announced, so I’m going to address that here. As I’ve mentioned several times, the majority of projects I’ve worked on as a writer have had bibles based on other people’s intellectual properties (NEWSHOUNDS, ARIA KALSAN, and my work in television animation). Early this year, Pro Se Press announced that they will have multiple books out this year based on popular Midwest convention Master of Ceremonies Peter Pixie, and announced that I am one of the authors. I actually turned in my first draft of this late last year, but got a lot of notes to work on for it, which I am doing. Going back to what I said about accountability and new challenges, this is the first book I am doing expressly for the Young Pulp market. In some ways, my past background in television animation makes me a great fit for this, and in other provides challenges as approaches in prose pulp are very different. So while at its core it is right, there are some aspects I need to rework. It’s an amazing growth experience, and I’m thankful to Pro Se Press for providing it, but it does mean this book might take a while to show up. In that respect, I am very appreciative as well to Pro Se Press, and Peter Pixie for making the licensing deal, to create this opportunity for me to grow and stretch myself, and to be willing to be patient. Right now, the plan is for me to use S.E. Muir as the name on all my Young Pulp works, to help readers, librarians, and others easily identify my prose works geared at this readership.
Can you tell us about some of your other writing (fiction or nonfiction) and any appearances or signings that you have planned?
I spent ten years consecutively doing National Novel Writing Month, and the results of those works I’ve edited, expanded upon, and self-published as part of my own growing and learning curve. Most of those works are outside of my core works of New Pulp and Genre Fiction, and are not areas I intend to explore in the future.
However, there is one work I will point out as it potentially might interest some part of the readership. A friend of mine recently introduced me to the idea of a new genre term emerging called Country or Rural Noir. From what I understand the term itself may actually be coined as recently as 1996, though books that fit the theme have been cited as far back as 1682 (a suggestion is that THE SOVERIGNTY AND GOODNESS OF GOD by Mary Rowlandson could fit this definition), and other writers such as Flannery O’Connor and select works of Nathanial Hawthorne, William Faulkner, and even Louisa May Alcott are also mentioned as early precursors. It’s fascinating reading. The general accepted definition seems to be the upset of rural utopia hopes and dreams, exposing some sort of dark underbelly.
In a lot of ways, my self-published series THE WILLOWBROOK SAGA actually seems to fall loosely under the definition of Country or Rural Noir as I’ve come to understand it, or at least might be considered influenced by this genre. One reason I say loosely is that the term is usually applied to stories in this theme from rural Middle America, while my storyline actually revolves around the Inland Northwest where I spent my teenage years, from the pioneer era to the present day. In THE WILLOWBROOK SAGA, a group of people driven from the East, driven by ideals that clash with that of the American Dream, end up in the Inland Northwest and root themselves deep into the lives of a small farming town where they covertly build the society they want while creating the illusion to the rest of the world that they are not what they seem. The system largely involves the control of women in very specific ways. As the women’s liberation movement grows, so do the women’s attempts in this twisted town to find ways to be free of the town’s exploitative expectations. The series begins in World War II and will reach our own current present day once it is completely released. Originally based on a novel I wrote in high school as a simple, contemporary, teen pregnancy drama in the 1980s, THE WILLOWBROOK SAGA grew into a much grander life of its own through other tales based on the core characters as written for National Novel Writing Month. Since these books consisted of a lot of my early self-published efforts, I recently made the decision to collate the two prequel stories and first two books into a single compilation, with a cover by my husband, Kevin Paul Shaw Broden. The previously released Book 3, along with Books 4 through 6, I hope to have out by the end of the year and will be even closer to a noir definition than the current compilation, which is already a bit dark.
I look forward to take the opportunity to discuss exactly what New Pulp and Genre Fiction is all about, as well as how I came from my television animation background to be part of this movement, at Long Beach Comic Expo in Long Beach California. The event is February 20th and 21st, 2016, and I’ll be doing a panel with my husband Kevin Paul Shaw Broden. As of this writing, we’re scheduled in the Danger Room, S1 on Sunday the 21st from 1 to 2 PM, but as always recommended be sure to check the final con schedule. If you’re in the area, we’d love to see you there and be part of this great conversation.
As an author what inspiration or advice would you give to a writer who is working to make the transition to Author?
Never give up, but be flexible on your career path. As I said, I grew up wanting to be a full-time writer. Though I started writing poetry and prose stories in elementary school, once I discovered animation in junior high and learned people who can’t draw could write scripts to guide the artists, I made that my sole goal even though I clearly had talent and passion in other areas and genres. Over the years, as I’ve seen the business change, I’ve gone back and explored the roads not previously pursued and given them another look.
My favorite poem, by the way, is Robert Frost’s “The Road Not Taken,” though it took years for me to really have that full appreciation grow. Early I related to it for what appears to be its surface meaning, of having two choices and taking the one less people might not, as emphasized by the line about taking the ones less traveled by. Over time though, I really looked at the poem lines, Frost points out repeatedly that the roads really have been worn about the same and that the speaker could come back but just doubts he will. It doesn’t mean the speaker can’t. The last lines are just affirming that it will be the speaker’s justification in the future to either praise or blame the state of the speaker’s life on the life choice. It doesn’t mean that we can’t go back and explore those other roads, unless we block ourselves from doing so.
Who is your favorite author, and can you recommend a book by that author?
My favorite author is J.R.R. Tolkien. I love the richness of his world building in creating Middle Earth, and while his characters are more archetypes in nature, he still makes it possible to care about their fates. In particular, my favorite book is THE HOBBIT. While not nearly as in depth on the epic mythological development as LORD OF THE RINGS and his other words, it is an epic grand adventure much like pulp is, with description and action favored over deep character scenes. However, the book ultimately resonates to me because of the amount of depth in its principal character, Bilbo Baggins. He was the first literary character that I identified with, and to this day find he resembles me a great deal. Bilbo lives in a comfortable life and when an unusual opportunity comes his way, he takes it with uncertainty and it changes his life forever. Because of interest in animation at a young age, and taking chances to actually attempt to contact the production companies behind the shows, I learned things and carved friendships as far back as junior high that matter to this day. When one of those friends referred me to come housesit for a short time in Los Angeles for a friend of hers, I took the chance and went with it. Though I could have easily come home and turned around, I chose to stay and in the summer of 2016 will have lived in the Los Angeles area for twenty years. Also, there are a lot of similarities between Bilbo’s character and my own, especially in matters of honesty and integrity, as shown in the plot points with Bilbo, Thorin, and the Arkenstone. For all the faults of the Peter Jackson movies, that thread is the best depiction of that relationship and its consequences I’ve ever seen, and I’ve seen the animated film and the stage play.
The second part of your question asks if I would recommend a book by the author. I know many people find Tolkien difficult for the very reasons I enjoy his works, and that is understandable. I definitely believe it is worth the attempt to at least start with THE HOBBIT if one does want to tackle his works. It makes it easier to appreciate THE LORD OF THE RINGS, and acts as a bit of a primer to some of the world’s races and locations. Only tackle THE SILMARILLION or his other posthumous releases if you have a strong passion for the world building, as they are even less character driven than the better known works.
If you would like to know more about Shannon Muir or her books, check out her links: Facebook, Twitter, Tumblr, Pinterest, Instagram, Goodreads, Amazon, and Smashwords.
February 4, 2016
City of Legends by Cheyanne Young: Interview and Giveaway
I would like to introduce an amazing YA series, City of Legends, by Cheyanne Young. The series is published by Alloy Entertainment–The same people who brought to you, Pretty Little Liars. Best part? Cheyanne’s entire series is dropping this week! That means all you voracious readers can get the whole series without any wait.
After reading Book One: City of Legends, I can’t wait to read the rest. Cheyanne’s YA superhero series has everything I look for in a new series. There is a healthy dose of action and adventure, killer plotline, unique characters, and a budding romance. Jump in and meet a group of superheroes and villains unlike any you’ve seen or read before.
You can win a complete set of The City of Legends by Cheyanne Young AND (don’t you love that word?) a $25 Amazon Gift card. Click to enter the giveaway below, but before you go…Here is the interview I did with Cheyanne.
What is the City of Legends series about?
City of Legends is about a teenage Super who will stop at nothing to gain the Hero status she’s spent eighteen years training for. There may also be some kissing.
What do you hope that readers will take away from City of Legends?
Hopefully, they’ll be happy with a kickass superhero story. But I’d also like them to realize that your future lies in your own hands and that you can always choose to go down a different path, no matter your situation.
What did you find most challenging while working on the book? And what have you found to be the most enjoyable part of the process?
The most challenging part of writing City of Legends was balancing Maci’s anger problem in a way that would make the reader still like her. I had to keep her likable, despite her flaws and that was sometimes difficult. The most enjoyable part of this entire series was the editing process. Weird, I know. But I love combing back through a book and finding ways to make it better.
Are there characters within City of Legends that might get their own book in the future?
At the moment, no, but I’ve definitely entertained the idea of giving Max or Crimson their own book.
What do you feel sets this book apart from other books in the genre?
Superhero books are often stuffed into one specific category with one specific type of reader, and City of Legends blends what I love about both superheroes and YA books and makes it into something that (hopefully) both types of readers will enjoy. So it’s set apart by being able to fit into two bookshelves.
When did your fascination with superheroes begin? And if you were a superhero, who would you want to be? Or would you invent one yourself?
I’ve loved superhero cartoons since I was a kid, but once this new generation of superhero movies started hitting theaters, my love for them took on a whole new meaning. If I were a Superhero, I’d be Batman. If I could invent a superhero, I’d be some kind of crazy cat lady who found a loving home for every abandoned pet. My superpower would be Eccentric Cat Whisperer.
Quick snap questions:
Pizza or Tacos? Pizza
Theater or NetFlix? Netflix
Walk on the beach or Night on the town? Walk on the beach
Pink and Purple or Red and Black? Red and Black
Jedi or Sith? Jedi, but I’d prefer Gryffindor.
Starfleet or Romulan? Romulan
Paper books or E-Reader? Ummmmm I can’t choose!
ESPN or Home and Garden? I don’t have Cable :(
Chanel or Bath and Body Works? Bath and Body Works
High heels or Sneakers? Flip flops… I’m a beach girl!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Book One: City of Legends
Maci Knight has grown up in the shadow of legends. Her father and her brother, Max, are Heroes, worshipped by humans and Supers alike for their strength and valor. All she’s ever wanted is to follow in their footsteps, to fight villains and protect humankind. But Maci has a secret—one that could change everything.
Maci had a twin sister who died the same day they were born. In their world, one twin is always good, while the other always eventually turns evil. There’s no way to tell which twin will go rogue . . . which means no one knows if Maci will suddenly become a villain.
The closer she gets to her eighteenth birthday, the more she has feelings she can’t control: Violence. Rage. Revenge. Maci wants to be a Hero. But she may not have a choice . . .
The first in a trilogy, City of Legends introduces a new superhero mythology and an unstoppable heroine.
Purchase: Amazon
~EXCERPT~
Crimson throws an arm over my shoulder, the scent of her cherry lip-gloss briefly overriding the stench of fish tanks. “So, Maci Knight . . . think you have what it takes to pass your Hero exam?”
I know she’s not talking about the hours of training I’ve endured over the last decade and this last week of performing skill tests for the examiners to prove I’m ready. Crimson’s question goes deeper than that. She’s talking about the core of being a Hero. Placing my life on the line to save people I don’t even know. Throwing away the idea of a normal life, all to uphold an oath of protecting those who can’t protect themselves.
The Hero Brigade is the most elite group on the planet. I meet her gaze and the corner of my mouth twists into a grin. “Hell yes.”
BOOK TWO: The ValiantAfter the most vicious villain attack in centuries, Maci Knight is struggling to put the shattered pieces of her life back together. She survived, but barely, and her family will never be the same. The only good thing to come out of the attack is that the Elders have granted her probationary Hero status. Now she’s desperate to prove that she has what it takes to shine in the field.
Maci gets her first chance when she’s called in to stop an illegal fighting ring where humans are battling to the death. But when she goes toe-to-toe with the fighters, she’s shocked to discover that even she can’t contain them. The humans are strong—supernaturally so. Maci knows that this is the work of the villain underground and is determined to put an end to it. But how do you fight an enemy who won’t show their face?
In the second installment of the City of Legends trilogy, Maci Knight will find out what she’s truly made of.
Purchase: Amazon
~EXCERPT~
“Something strange is going on,” Katia says.
“It’s almost like they have power,” I say.
The two Heroes look at me like I’ve lost my mind. “They’re human, Maci,” Katia says. “They can’t have power.”
“I know,” I say quickly, feeling the sudden need to defend my intelligence. But something about my words rings true. Even with dedicated strength training, humans are weak. If I hadn’t seen firsthand what happens when a Super and human breed, I would have suspected that these humans were some kind of half-Super. But this . . . well this, I don’t have an explanation for. And if we don’t figure it out and put a stop it, it could bring unsurmountable chaos into the human’s world—and ours.
BOOK THREE: Empire RisingEighteen years ago, Maci Knight’s family was destroyed when Aurora Falcon killed her mother. Now Aurora’s partner, Felix, has kidnapped Maci’s brother. For five long months, there’s been no sign of Max. His Codex is offline and she can’t feel even the slightest trace of his power. Maci refuses to give up hope, but when a new threat on King City emerges, Maci is ordered to abandon her search.
Somehow Felix has managed to do the unthinkable: repower all the villains that Central has depowered over the years. Now they’ve banded together to get revenge on the Supers who wronged them. What feels like an arduous mission becomes an opportunity when Maci realizes that if she can stop the villains, she can get them to lead her to Felix—and her brother.
In the action-packed conclusion of the City of Legends trilogy, Maci vows to save her city and bring her family back together—no matter the cost.
Purchase: Amazon
~EXCERPT~
Evan approaches and slides his hands around my waist. A chill goes through me at the feel of his touch and the familiar tingle of his power so close to mine. Heroes train hard to hone and strengthen their power more than any other Super, so it has a distinct and dominant feeling. Evan spent a few years in Hero training, but his power isn’t like that. It doesn’t burn like Crimson’s power when she’s in a frenzied fight, and it doesn’t intimidate like one of the older Heroes might. It encircles my body the same way his arms do, bringing me closer to him spiritually and physically.
Desire courses through my veins. I grab his shoulders and lift up on my toes. Evan grips my waist and lifts me into the air. I close my eyes and kiss him. His lips taste salty and perfect. My fingers slide up through his dirty blonde hair. He deepens the kiss and I hold onto him as if I need his lips to stay alive. I want this moment to last forever.
ABOUT THE AUTHORCheyanne Young is a native Texan with a fear of cold weather and a coffee addiction that probably needs an intervention. She loves books, sarcasm, and collecting nail polish. After nearly a decade of working in engineering, Cheyanne now writes books for young adults and is the author of the City of Legends Trilogy. She doesn’t miss a cubicle one bit.
Cheyanne lives near the beach with her daughter and husband, one spoiled rotten puppy, and a cat that is most likely plotting to take over the world.
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February 2nd –
Book Lovers Life
Christina Channelle – YA/NA Author
Kati Bookaholic Rambling Reviews
February 3rd –
Because reading is better than real life
Rockin’ Book Reviews
Mythical Books
Please Pass The Books
Girl of 1000 Wonders
The Serial Reader
February 4th –
Lost in Ever After
Lisa M. Collins Musings on books, writing, and on being Southern…
My Chaotic Ramblings
February 5th –
Writer of Wrongs
Rabbit Hole Reviews
February 6th –
I Heart YA Books
Around the World in Books
February 8th –
Fallen Over Book Reviews
CBY Book Club
deal sharing aunt
books are love
Teatime and Books
December 29, 2015
Family is, as Family does.
For my part in LEGENDS OF NEW PULP FICTION, The Dangerous Client, is the work I am most proud of, and I don’t make a single dime from it sale. Nancy Hansen says it better than I can. Buying a copy of this anthology helps one of my dear friends,Tommy Hancock, be able make ends meet during this difficult time of illness in his life. All of us authors, #indie, #tradpub, or #hybrids are a family.
If you like a peek at my latest Book Release newsletter click here.
If you would like to know first about New Releases first click here.
December 13, 2015
Holiday Gift Giving For Writers
“**UPDATED SECOND EDITION** (25% more content, every chapter updated) This book takes first-time authors through their first leap into indie publishing and gives already-published authors a jump-start for their lagging sales or new series. Inspirational and nuts-and-bolts practical, the Guide helps you tackle your fears, plan for success, market without feeling like a slimeball, and create a beautiful book package. It’s a guide for the heart as much as the head, designed to help you launch your publishing journey.”
“Advanced Ninja Writers Need Apply
Do you write for love or money? With the advent of indie publishing, this question vexes writers like it never has before—for the first time, you can literally chase trends, feeding the fans of that lucrative genre that’s flying off the shelves. But what if the stories you love to write aren’t the kind that are selling like ice water in July? How do you create a career in writing that you both love and hits the financial success you need to justify the hours spent at the keyboard?”
“Have you ever wanted to double your daily word counts? Do you feel like you’re crawling through your story, struggling for each paragraph? Would you like to get more words every day without increasing the time you spend writing or sacrificing quality? It’s not impossible, it’s not even that hard. This is the story of how, with a few simple changes, I boosted my daily writing from 2000 words to over 10k a day, and how you can, too.”
“The Artist’s Way is the seminal book on the subject of creativity. An international bestseller, millions of readers have found it to be an invaluable guide to living the artist’s life. Still as vital today—or perhaps even more so—than it was when it was first published one decade ago, it is a powerfully provocative and inspiring work. In a new introduction to the book, Julia Cameron reflects upon the impact of The Artist’s Way and describes the work she has done during the last decade and the new insights into the creative process that she has gained. Updated and expanded, this anniversary edition reframes The Artist’s Way for a new century.”
“The techniques here are designed to help you streamline your writing…and that includes not wasting your time on false starts or novels with huge, gaping plot holes that torment you during revisions. These are my best No Fail Formulas for starting or re-starting a new or broken novel, for kicking myself out of writer’s block, and for making the most of every precious writing minute in a tight schedule.”
“How to write a Book in 30 Days is a guide to writing a book from conceiving the original idea, through formatting and publishing through marketing. A strong emphasis is on publishing through Amazon’s Kindle, with minor advice on publishing as PDFs. The author of the book has all of her books on Kindle and feels it is the best digital platform for eBooks today.”
*Please note I am NOT an affiliate for any book distributor nor publisher. The books really are personal favorites.
December 5, 2015
Looking into the Future: On tap for 2016
Although it isn’t quite the end of 2015 I am already looking toward 2016. I want to give you all a round up of accomplishments for the year, and share a bit of what I have planned for the future.
Two stories were accepted to anthologies this last year.
One is the prequel of my novella, The House Bast Made, this new short story, Hathor’s Gift, is the tale of Reid Cannon’s grandmother, Jane Roberts. In the story she is young and in graduate school back in 1968. Of course, like Reid’s story, Jane is in Egypt and supernatural things are a foot. This story is going to be published by Mechanoid Press’ in the New Year. You can click on the pictures to see the upcoming titles in the anthology, and I must say I’m in good company.
Check out Mechanoid Press on their website, Facebook, or Twitter. Also if you sign up for the newsletter for Mechanoid, you get a free book!
The second short story is The Dangerous Client. This one is my first foray in writing a noir detective mystery. The story follows PI Mack Stevens as he negotiates the hard streets of 1930s Chicago. The Anthology is being published by Airship 27 Productions, and is a benefit for a dear friend of mine, Tommy Hancock, and his family. Legends of New Pulp Fiction has 62 writers & 38 artists. This massive book has 100 CREATORS! Look for this in the early part of 2016.
Check out Airship 27 Productions on their website, Facebook, or Twitter.
Now that NaNoWriMo is over and I’m recovered I have started to look over a past novel. I know some people jump right in to working over their NaNo novel. I need more space between the second draft and that first radical word-fest that is NaNoWriMo. I am working the rest of December on the third draft from a past NaNo novel. I see the creation of a story, that first draft, as being 50% done. 60% is when I have gone back over the first draft and edited it for readability, added notes where I need to expand or cleanup sections, and basic grammar issues. Sometimes I let my critique partner, Bonnie J. Sterling, read a story at this point. If she has additions/subtractions she thinks the draft needs, I take those on advisement.
That is where Chevron Station is now. This month I am working to bring it up to the 80% level, where I have written the third draft and expanded the story by incorporating my notes. At this point I get my beta readers involved. The book isn’t ready to be published until I hear back from them and I have addressed any issues the readers might have. The last 10% is the technical issues of the actual production. I am a hybrid author, in that I have self published and also 
traditionally published my works. I do most of my ebook setup myself. I don’t mark a book as 100% done until it is in the cue at Amazon. My hope is Chevron Station will be ready for the cue by early Spring 2016, with the second book in the series ready for Fall/Winter 2016. If you would like a sneak peak at Chevron Station, check out my Pinterest board.
If you would like to know FIRST when books are ready for purchase, giveaways, sales, and freebies you can sign up for my newsletter. It is not blog content regurgitated in your inbox. I only send out an email to the list when I have a publishing announcement.
The signup is quick and easy, and here is the best part, subscribers will get newsletter only promotions. Click here or the picture below to sign up. Your contact information will not be shared or sold, and you can unsubscribe at any time.
2016 has a lot of good things coming down the pike. Come on a journey with me. Let’s see what is out there!
November 24, 2015
Chuck Wendig’s #NaNoWriMo Challenge
Grab 1000 words of your NaNoWriMo work-in-progress (or, really, even if you’re not participating, any WIP of yours), and slap those 1000 words online for all to see. –Chuck Wendig
…The Dread Pirate Mel and her band of Space Marauders…
“Captain! This is suicide.” First Lieutenant, Cole Crawford, yelled over the blasts of laser fire and alarm bells.
“Be that as it may, Lieutenant, load the drones and fire the plasma cannons.” Captain Melinda Goldmire ordered.
“Captain! The shielding is going to fail. If we don’t find cover soon we’ll be as good as done,” Helmsman Justin Barnes yelled.
“I don’t have time this, Barnes,” Goldmire said. “Fire all batteries, full-spread, Cole. Barnes, Make the jump to lightspeed through the clearing!”
“But, Captain? We’ll take damage.”
Goldmire leapt from her command chair as Cole tore a hole in the enemy line with a barrage of fire. She booted Barnes out of the helm and slammed the throttle to bypass the sublight settings.
In a blue blaze of hot plasma and smoke the Antibes streaked into hyperspace close enough to Vega 4 to singe the port side hull on coronal ejections. The ship entered normal space, teetering to starboard with no gravity. Buckling back into the command chair, Mel yelled out instructions to find out the state of the situation.
Cole used the bulkheads to swing into the First Mate’s con. “Captain, we have three injured but not seriously. The quantum engine is another story. It got so blazing hot it actually welded the hatch shut. We got half thrusters and the port ones are being repaired as we speak. The gravity will be restored next. But we will need to find a place to set down to do the repairs to the manifolds.”
“Damn. Cole, double check the cargo. I want to make sure our prize is secure and safe.”
“Aye Captain.” Cole swung out of the chair and helped Harmony, his wife, back into her station on his way to the transport tube.
“Harmony.”
“Yes, Captain?”
“I just want to say…” Barnes interrupted Goldmire.
The Captain held a hand up to Barnes. He stopped speaking.
“Harm, pull up the charts for this star system and put them on the main display.”
Goldmire looked Barnes over. “Barnes if you ever question another order from a superior on my ship, you will pack your bags.”
“Understood, Captain.”
“Take your seat Helmsman.”
Barnes buckled into the con. He was green, but would learn. The crew was the best the Antibes had seen in the five years since Goldmire put her into service. Each one went about his job with diligence usually only seen in governmental cruisers. Half of them were tethered to bulkheads, the rest strapped into their stations, but not one complaint or grumble. A real gem of a crew.
“Here are the charts, Captain.” Harmony said.
The screen’s focus was out of whack. “Just a moment, Captain, I’ll fix the resolution.” Harmony said fiddling with the display.
“There you go, Captain. According to the chart we have two ELP class options in the Malestra system. One is the moon of Malestra-Prime, and the second is the fourth planet. Each one is relatively small but Malestra-Four has a longer day.”
“Helm, set a course to Malestra-Four.”
The Antibes limped her way to a stationary orbit over the southern continent. As the crew began the standard scans for life and necessities Captain Goldmire headed below decks to see what was keeping Cole from reporting back on the status of the cargo.
Mel launched herself down the corridor, floating due to the lack of gravity, midway toward the hatch leading to the cargo hold she could hear the cargo making a terrible fuss, screeching at a high enough pitch to make ears bleed.
Bursting through the portal, Goldmire slid the door shut with a thunderous bang. “What in Hades is going on in here?”
The screeching began again.
Goldmire hated to yell, but in this particular instance she thought it justified. “Shut up!”
The cargo looked offended, but stopped talking. Looking quite flustered, the cargo, floated through the air pink fluffy dress and green hair all eschew. It was difficult not to laugh at the hapless twit.
“Now, Cole, what is the issue.”
“As you can see, Captain, the gravity plates in this section have not been repaired. Each time I try to help Her Majesty down she gripes about me being unclean and offensive. That sets her to spinning like a crazed torpedo.”
“Ah. Well then go prepare the ship for landing. Pull as many folks as you need to put this bucket to rights. I’ll deal with the princess.”
Princess Halifia of the Martonik Empire floated past like a cloud of cotton candy. If the gravity were to come on right this second she would land headfirst on her shiny little crown.
“Allow me to assist you, Your Majesty.”
“Don’t touch me you heathen…”
“Shall I let your royal self land in a heap on the floor with your dress over your head?”
“Well…no.” All the steam ran out of her tirade.
Goldmire reached out a hand and expertly righted the floating princess and strapped her into a seat along the wall. Then with a bow turned to leave the hold.
“Wait.”
“Did you require something else, Princess?”
“No. I just wanted to know if we were going to make it in time.”
“Princess, I am the Dread Captain Mel, and I have never missed a deadline. You will be at your father’s side before his passing. Or I’ll die in the trying.”
###
With the cargo secure, Mel headed down to the engine room to get an update. Floating through the cockeyed corridor the gravity plating came back online. Mel landed in a crouching kneel looking decidedly like a panther. Her long black leather coat tail floated down around her body, blonde braids in her face.
“Declan! I’m going to put your ass in a sling!” Mel barked into her wrist communicator.
She paused to help prone crew members to their feet.
Entering engineering all activity halted, for a millisecond. It was always trouble when the mistress of the Antibes came calling. She would put her life on the line for any one of them, but none wanted to create a circumstance where such a thing was necessary.
“Declan.” Mel growled low, menacing.
“Captain.” Declan sucked in a quick breath. “The main stardrive took a magnetic surge at the last moments of the battle. We have full life support, gravity, and all the maneuvering thrusters on the fore/aft/starboard, but the mechbot reports a large gash along port. I have spare parts but the hull has to be opened and resealed. Not something I would prefer for us to do in the black.”
“Well, you’re in luck we are in a stationary orbit around Malestra-Four. Secure all stations and will be setting down for quick repairs.”
“Quick, Captain that isn’t…”
Goldmire marched up to Declan and leaned in close. “Let me stress to you the meaning of the word quick—rapidly, swiftly expedient, with all haste, as in any delay will not be tolerated.” She straightened to her full height. “The mission is time critical. Only the repairs necessary for stardrive and landing, anything else can be done in transit. Understood.”
“Yes, Captain.”
Mel turned on her boot then looked back over her shoulder, “Oh, Declan.” She paused to catch his eye. “If you ever turn on gravity without a warning to the crew again, I will punt you out the hold into the black.
October 25, 2015
All Hands on Deck! It’s #NaNoWriMo Time, Baby!
Have you ever wanted to write a novel? Well November is your month. Join all of us crazy writers for National Novel Writing Month!
Don’t worry if you haven’t written in a while or this is your first attempt to put thoughts into a story. Every November writers come together, online and in small groups, around the world to make the attempt. You can be one of us! Just think by this time next month you could be getting ready to type those two all important words…THE END!
Click here to join us or log in at NaNoWriMo.org. If you need a friend look me up. Also the wonderful folks from NaNoWriMo have set up a Facebook Event. Between the NaNo forums and Facebook you can find a lot of support. Remember we are all in this together.
Print out one of the checklists below. I have one for people who like to plan and outline, and another for those who write by the seat of there pants. I hope you will join us.
October 12, 2015
5 Tips For When Your Characters Are Stuck In The Mud #amwriting
Are your characters as lifeless and mired in boring as a stick in the mud? Try out these 5 tips for generating more excitement and perhaps learn a thing or two along way.
#1 If you are looking for a hobby or job for one of your characters, try this tip: Go to Amazon Kindle’s bestsellers list to look for free and low cost nonfiction books. A writer should write what they know. Well read a book or two on a subject for free, then some blogs and most of the time you’ll have enough information for you to mold a character’s employment or hobby.
From today’s search in Crafts, Hobbies & Home…I could write a character who combines her love of Horses with Foraging to create: A entrepreneur who owns a Trail Riding company that specializes in foraging trips for upscale restaurant owners/chefs.
#2 You need inspiration for your new character’s features, but don’t want just another vanilla yuppie. This is when I enlist the help of Pinterest. I like Pinterest because I already have an account there, but this idea will work equally well with Tumblr. Or, if you are still kicking it old skool and you feel like wading through tons of pictures, you can use a Google search. The Google method takes a lot of time, so it isn’t my go-to method. Tip: use unique key word searches in Pinterest like ‘futuristic’ ‘hairstyles’ ‘men’, or replace futuristic with another word that describes your genre, like cowboy, Edwardian, or steampunk, for example.
#3 As you know from my tip above and my post about storyboarding using Pinterest, I’m a big fan of the site. If you are too, you can do a search much like tip #2 to find amazing locales for your characters to visit and live. However when I really want to wow readers with amazing locations I turn to Travel Bloggers. Why? They have the dirt on all the places yet to be on the radar for the average joes, so you are sure to find a place to dazzle your readers. Tip: Search for Travel Bloggers to get a list of blogs to read, or use the keywords like ‘blog’ ‘travel’ ‘exotic’ ‘vacation’ ‘escape’ ‘retreat’ to refine your search until you find the perfect place.
#4 Retellings of classic literature are all the rage right now, but how many rehashed Cinderella’s can one really make money selling? If you still want to get in on this trend but have been banging your head against your keyboard, you need better source material. Tip: When looking for classical storylines I turn to Wikipedia searches. No, I don’t take everything I find there as written in stone, like Moses’ documents, but most of what you have there is linked back to the original sources. An example, say you want to do a modern retelling of a fairytale. Well you need to have a list of tales to start with then look through them to find one to inspire your creativity. So a search on Wikipedia for ‘List of Fairy Tales‘ gets you everything from Abdullah the Fisherman to The Young King Of Easaidh Ruadh, basically a-z or over 550 different fairy tales to choose from. And that is just from fairy tales…a search on Wikipedia for literature gives you an nearly overwhelming load, but you can begin whittling down the list by looking at drama, poetry, or prose. From there you can stick to your own genre for inspiration, or bend a new genre to fit your own. Happy hunting!
Check out: HOW TO CREATE CHARACTER MOTIVATIONS THAT WILL RIVET YOUR READERS by She’s Novel
#5 So far we have covered a lot of ground toward making your characters and stories more interesting. So now that you have a great Job/Hobby, Look, Place, and Story Line for your new book what else might help? I’ll be honest with you, even if you have the best ideas and the most amazing character the world has ever known, none of this work will do you any good if your character doesn’t have an equally interesting motivation. A story without motivation is like a sandwich with nothing between the bread.
Now you can Google for a plethora of articles about the subject. However, when speaking about your main character, motivation is key. Why? Events and action that amaze your reader are cool, but who takes action without motivation? It is the motivation of your character that indirectly and directly affects each scene in your story. Their motivation keeps the story moving forward, and a consistent motivation that gets resolved, leads to a satisfying story for your readers.
These are the tips I run through when my stories are going over like a lead balloon or boring as dirt. Let me know if the tips are helpful to you or if you have other tips to share about making characters interesting. Just leave a comment below.
