Sarah Ettritch's Blog, page 19
August 8, 2012
The Atheist: Q&A
We’re getting close to the release date for The Atheist, so I thought I’d do a short Q&A about the book. Without further ado…
Is The Deiform Fellowship One: The Atheist the beginning of a series?
Yes. Every book in the series will be a standalone story. That doesn’t mean a story will never refer to events that took place in earlier books. But each book will be its own story, not an installment of one continuous story.
Does the story have strong, intelligent, kickass female characters?
Of course! (Sam is a woman.)
Does it have a lesbian main character?
Yes.
Is it lesbian fiction?
It depends on what you mean by lesbian fiction. I’ve observed that “lesbian fiction” is often used as a synonym for “lesbian romance.” The Atheist contains no romance whatsoever—not even a teeny tiny romantic element. In that sense, it isn’t lesbian fiction.
On my About page, I say that I expect most of my work to have the following characteristics:
strong female characters
character-focused
science fiction or fantasy
worldviews play an important role
The Atheist has everything on that list, in spades.
Bottom line: If you read many genres and you’ve enjoyed my other work, then you’ll probably enjoy The Atheist. On the other hand, if you prefer to read stories with romance in them, proceed with caution. The Atheist might not be your cup of tea.
What will it be categorized as, then?
As I write this, I’m intending to put it into the contemporary fantasy and thriller categories.
When will The Deiform Fellowship One: The Atheist be released?
If all goes according to plan, it should be available in Amazon’s Kindle store sometime during the week of August 20th. Print should be available a few weeks after that. I’ll update the book’s page as it becomes available at other online stores.
If, for some reason, my projected release week changes, I’ll let you know as soon as I do.
Any playlist for this one?
I’ve said before that I don’t listen to music while writing, but I do use music to stoke the creative fire. When writing The Atheist, M4, Part II by Faunts certainly did that, and it’s also energizing me while I write Deiform Two. If you’re a gamer and you’ve played Mass Effect, M4, Part II is the song that plays over the closing credits. A few days ago I found the lyrics, and they’re actually a good fit for The Atheist.
Other songs from the Mass Effect soundtrack also got the creative juices flowing, especially The Normandy and Criminal Elements. You’d think I was writing science fiction, but as I’ve previously mentioned, the tone/genre of the music that inspires me often has no relation to the story I’m writing.
Do you have a question about The Deiform Fellowship One: The Atheist? Ask away in the comments or via the Contact form.
The Atheist: Q&A is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
August 2, 2012
Behind the Scenes of the Rymellan Series: Story Titles
I sometimes find it a challenge to come up with story titles. Some writers can’t start a story until they have a title for it. I often don’t title a story until it’s almost ready to go to my editor.
Sometimes the title comes to me as I write the story. For example, in Threaded Through Time (Book One), Robin uses a needle and thread analogy when she’s explaining to Pam why they won’t be resurrected over and over again. When I wrote the dialogue, I thought, “Aha! Threaded Through Time would make a good title!” Until then, the Word files were called, “TimeTravel-x,” with x being the version number. Titling The Salbine Sisters…well, that’s an obvious one.
When it came to Rymellan stories, I’d sometimes use the month the story would be posted as a temporary title. Other times I’d use a title that I later rejected in favour of something else.
Can you match these Rymellan story titles with their working titles?
Titles
Working Titles
Intervention
Three’s a Crowd
Good-byes
Point of No Return
Shattered Lives
Separation
Besieged
Boundaries
Closing Ranks
Under the Surface
Shattered Delusions
Aftermath
No Going Back
United Front
How many did you get?
Behind the Scenes of the Rymellan Series: Story Titles is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
July 29, 2012
News Update: July 2012
What’s happened this month?
Writing
I’ve released more details about The Atheist, the book that will be available in a few weeks’ time. I’m still working on the first draft of Deiform Two. I’m also writing another project, but since it’s in a new genre (not SF/F), I don’t want to say anything about it just yet. It may never see the light of day.
The Atheist will be my last release in 2012. I already have a December editing date lined up, so I expect to release a story sometime in early 2013.
Website
I added a page for The Deiform Fellowship Series. It currently has the book cover, blurb, and trailer.
In addition, I added a sign up form for a “new release notification list.” If you belonged to the Rymellan Fiction mailing list, you’ll know that I only sent out an email when I posted a new story. This mailing list will be the same. I’ll email the list when I release a new book, so it will be a low volume list (we’re talking a handful of emails a year). The signup form, which requires only your email address, is at the top of the sidebar.
I also held a giveaway for a signed book. Congratulations to Helen Wilson, who chose a signed copy of Rymellan 1: Disobedience Means Death.
Coming up
The release of The Atheist! If all goes to plan, the eBook should be available around the week of August 20th (print will be available a week or two later). I’ll post a short Q&A about the book in a week or so.
I’m planning to create a book trailer for The Salbine Sisters, but I might not have time to do it until September.
Once The Atheist has released, I’ll pretty much have my head down for the rest of the year. I have a full writing schedule, with many stories waiting in the wings. I expect to release at least three stories in 2013.
Have a great week! 
News Update: July 2012 is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
July 27, 2012
Giveaway Winner
Thank you to everyone who entered the giveaway, and thanks for all your kind comments about the Rymellan series and The Salbine Sisters. I couldn’t respond in the comments, because that would have made choosing the winner more complicated.
Anyway, the winner is…
Helen Wilson
Helen, an email is winging its way to you right now!
Giveaway Winner is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
July 26, 2012
The Atheist
As I announced last week, my next book will be The Atheist, the first book in The Deiform Fellowship series. At approximately 59,000 words long, it’s a short novel, but it packs quite a punch. The book will be available in August.
Here’s the book trailer, followed by the blurb:
Jillian Campbell doesn’t believe in God. When local pastor Jim Preston claims to be an agent of God called a Deiform, and declares that Jillian is one too, she dismisses him as a kook.
Two days later, Preston is dead, and Jillian stands accused of his murder. With mounds of fabricated evidence condemning her, Jillian expects to spend her life behind bars. But after collapsing at the courthouse, she wakes up in the sanctuary of the Deiform Fellowship.
Desperate to clear her name, Jillian agrees to cooperate with the group that insists she’s an untrained Deiform. As she works with the Deiform Sam to counter the evidence against her, Jillian can’t shake the feeling that the Fellowship is a criminal organization masquerading as a religious group. Intending to leave the Fellowship when she no longer needs its help, Jillian worries that the group will force her to pledge her life to its service.
I usually tell a story through the eyes of multiple characters, but not in The Atheist. If you read the book, you’ll understand why I stick with Jillian for the entire roller coaster ride.
I’m planning to do a short Q&A post about The Atheist (“Is Sam a man or a woman?” A woman!), so if you have any questions, ask away in the comments section, or use the contact form. I’ll add them to the questions I already have on my list.
Reminder: The signed book giveaway closes tomorrow night (July 27th) at 8PM EDT. Last chance to enter!
The Atheist is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
July 23, 2012
Signed Book Giveaway! [CLOSED]
How would you like to win a signed copy of Rymellan 1: Disobedience Means Death OR The Salbine Sisters?
All you have to do is comment on this post by 8:00PM EDT on Friday, July 27th, 2012. At that point, I’ll close comments and choose the winner using random.org. For example, if random.org generates the number 6, then the person who commented sixth wins.
Make sure you put a valid email address in the comment form. If I can’t contact you, I’ll choose another winner. Your email address will only be visible to me.
The winner can choose a signed copy of Rymellan 1: Disobedience Means Death OR The Salbine Sisters. Print book only.
Open to everyone, regardless of where you live.
Only ONE comment per person, please. Multiple comments will be deleted.
Good luck!
Spread the word using the buttons below…
Signed Book Giveaway! [CLOSED] is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
Signed Book Giveaway!
How would you like to win a signed copy of Rymellan 1: Disobedience Means Death OR The Salbine Sisters?
All you have to do is comment on this post by 8:00PM EDT on Friday, July 27th, 2012. At that point, I’ll close comments and choose the winner using random.org. For example, if random.org generates the number 6, then the person who commented sixth wins.
Make sure you put a valid email address in the comment form. If I can’t contact you, I’ll choose another winner. Your email address will only be visible to me.
The winner can choose a signed copy of Rymellan 1: Disobedience Means Death OR The Salbine Sisters. Print book only.
Open to everyone, regardless of where you live.
Only ONE comment per person, please. Multiple comments will be deleted.
Good luck!
Spread the word using the buttons below…
Signed Book Giveaway! is a post from: Sarah Ettritch
July 20, 2012
Behind the Scenes of the Rymellan Series: The Character That Wouldn’t Go Away
If you’ve read the Rymellan series, you’ll recognize the name Ann Hawkins. In a Rymellan story called Misinterpretation, Mo almost withdraws from the evaluation process for the pilot training program because a fellow cadet harasses her and sucks away her confidence. Ann is that nasty cadet.
I remember the moment when Ann came into existence. I was writing on my laptop in bed (something I haven’t done in a while now). I reached the point in the first scene when Mo and David are about to run into Ann at the mess hall, except I didn’t know her as Ann. I thought of her as “the bitch who harasses Mo.”
Here’s the part of the scene where Ann appears for the first time in the series:
David pulled open the mess hall door and almost bumped into a fellow cadet. “Oh, hi,” he said as Ann passed through the doorway.
Ann grinned at him. “Just dragged yourself out of bed?”
“No, I’ve been up since 06:30,” he said, letting go of the door.
“Why?”
“Had simulator time booked at 07:00. We’ve just come from there.”
Ann seemed to notice Mo for the first time. “Both of you?”
David nodded.
“I can understand why you’d want to use the simulator, but why would you?” she asked, frowning at Mo.
“Why wouldn’t I?” Mo replied.
“Don’t tell me you’re trying out for the fighter pilot program.”
“Um, yeah, I am,” Mo said, irritated. She and Ann weren’t friends, but her aspiration to become a fighter pilot was hardly a secret. Surely Ann had heard about her plans from someone—what they hoped to do in their third year had been the main topic of conversation among cadets over the past month.
Ann looked down at her. ‘No offence, but are you sure you’re not too short?”
Blood rushed to Mo’s cheeks.
“There’s no height requirement,” David snapped.
“Well, not officially, but there’s a glut of applicants this year, so they can afford to be choosy.”
“That doesn’t mean they’ll reject applicants based on their height,” Mo said.
“There’s that little thing called an evaluation that’ll determine who makes it in and who doesn’t,” David added.
“Well, you’d better hope you ace every single part of the evaluation,” Ann said to Mo. “And even if you do, if it comes down to you and someone . . . bigger, anyone with a smidgen of common sense knows who they’ll pick.” She smiled tightly. “I’d hate to see you waste your time, so take some friendly advice and go after something a little more suitable for you, okay?”
As you can see, the mind games are already starting.
When I needed a name for the nasty character, I pulled Ann out of thin air without much thought, because I expected her to be a one-story wonder.
I don’t outline, but I usually have an inkling of what’s coming up. When I was approaching the end of Misinterpretation, I was already seeing scenes with Mo and Ann flying together in the simulator (those scenes appeared in the story Intervention). I thought, “Interesting, Ann’s sticking around,” and I could see the potential for conflict between Ann and the other characters in the series, especially Mo.
I also had a decision to make regarding Ann: would she make it into the elite pilot training program? Readers probably hoped that she’d get what she deserved and be rejected, but that’s part of the reason I decided to put her through. Life isn’t fair. I didn’t want Misinterpretation to come across as an after-school special with the message, “Now, now, children, see what happens when you’re mean to someone.” More often than not, nothing happens.
If you’ve read the series, you’ll know that Ann is a regular character, and over the course of the series she’s become more three-dimensional. She’s the sort of character that will almost have you rooting for her, but then she’ll say or do something that makes you want to punch her. That makes her interesting for me to write, and I hope she’s an interesting character for readers.
Here’s to Lieutenant Ann Hawkins, the one-story wonder who didn’t go away.
July 16, 2012
Announcing The Deiform Fellowship Series
I’m excited to announce that my next book will be the first entry in The Deiform Fellowship series. The Atheist is a contemporary fantasy thriller and will be available in August. For now, I’ll leave you with the cover for The Atheist, designed by the wonderful Patty Henderson.
July 12, 2012
Behind the Scenes of the Rymellan Series: A Deleted Snippet from Crossroads
I thought it might be fun to provide some behind the scenes details about the Rymellan series. Over the next month or two, I’ll discuss:
A couple of scenes that didn’t make it into publication
The most difficult story problem I ran into when writing the first three books
Which character turned out to be more important than I realized (can you guess who this is?)
Working story titles I threw out
I’ll start with a scene that I abandoned while I was writing the first draft, so it wasn’t cut, per se. In Crossroads, Lesley and Mo meet Jayne for dinner when Mo returns from 72. It’s the first time they’ve all gotten together since Mo admitted to Lesley that she has feelings for Jayne. In the published story, they fly Jayne home and the scene ends with Jayne saying good night and hopping off the aviacraft. The next scene is about Jayne telling Carol that she’s worried about Lesley and Mo’s relationship.
When I was writing the first draft, I started to write the scene below after the one in which Jayne hops off the craft. I stopped writing it because I didn’t think they were ready to have the conversation. Instead, they have a similar discussion after the horribly awkward supper at Jayne’s. The evening went so badly that they couldn’t help but talk about how they were feeling.
I want to stress that the writing is first draft material. It’s exactly as I originally wrote it, warts and all…
The moment the aviacraft door clicked shut, Mo groaned and rested her head on the panel in front of her. “I can’t do this.”
“Let me get the craft up so she doesn’t wonder why we’re not leaving,” Lesley murmured. She punched in the coordinates for the Thompson estate, then turned to Mo. “What can’t you do?”
“I can’t see you both at the same time!” Mo lifted her head. “I feel like you’re analyzing everything I say. And I’m sorry about the supper thing. She did ask me about it, and I told her to wait on it.”
“If she wants us to see the painting before she applies . . .”
“I know.” Mo blew out an exasperated sigh. “I feel bad for you, I feel bad for her because she has no clue what’s going on. And I’m just a mess!” She met Lesley’s eyes. “How did you feel?”
Not as bad as she’d expected, but only because there was nothing going on between Mo and Jayne—yet. Her most difficult challenge was to not resent Jayne. When she’d first seen her, the hurt and anger . . . Lesley had fought it, and had managed to hold it at bay. This wasn’t Jayne’s fault, and Jayne was her Chosen. Still, the destructive emotions were there, and it wouldn’t take much for them to burst to the surface. “I didn’t feel too bad. And you can’t worry about what I’m thinking. You have to be yourself.”
“I can’t! I’m too worried that something I do or say will hurt you.”
“Mo, something will. There’s nothing either one of us can do about that.”
As you can see, I didn’t get very far before I realized that I was writing the conversation prematurely. Sometimes that happens.
