T.L. Gray's Blog, page 63

Writing Material

Where do you get most of your writing material?
I get some ideas from other stories I’ve read, some from movies I’ve watched, and some from the figments of my imagination.  However, my greatest source of inspiration comes from the life I live, the people I love and the faith to which I cling.
Till next time,~T.L. Gray

Write What You Want

One of the first pieces of advice most veteran writers will give fledgling and upcoming artists is to: Write what you know.  That is excellent advice.  Readers can spot fabrication easily, which doesn’t bode well for the writer.   The second piece of advice should be: Write what you want.  It is my experience that unless I’m writing something that excites me, it becomes a laborious project, and resentment towards the project grows when I’m forced.  How I feel while writing is often interjected into what I’m writing.  I’m beginning to recognize this transference in what I’m reading, and becoming more aware of its possibility in my own work.
However, this writing method needs to be balanced with scheduled productivity in order to meet deadlines and achieve story completion.  I learned very early in my writing career that you can’t just write when you ‘feel’ like it.  What you ‘want’ to write has nothing to do with how you ‘feel’.  What I mean about writing what you want, is writing the story that burns in your heart, that you can’t quit thinking about, the one your muse constantly sends inspiration, not whether you have an ache somewhere. 
So, what do you want to write today?
Till next time,~T.L. Gray

Vabella Publishing

I’ve always heard the phrase that you need to strike the iron while it’s hot, and if I’ve seen anything searing these days, it’s the rapid growth of Vabella Publishing, and I can’t express how excited that makes me. 
I met publisher John Bell in January 2010 when he was the scheduled guest speaker of the Carrollton Creative Writer’s Club (CCWC).  At the time I was a published author with a company out of Florida, and an entrepreneur working 16-hour days.  Needless to say, I enjoyed his presentation, but didn’t put much more thought into Bell or his company. 
What a difference a few months can make.   At a combined book signing with other CCWC members at Wiley’s Book Exchange, I again met John Bell, and was able to talk with him in more detail.  He expressed with great desire his goals and how he’d like to see Vabella grow.  Due to his level of passion, combined with my business experience, I found myself talking about distributors, contracts, websites, marketing and everything else I had learned about the publishing industry over the two years since I signed my first contract, and thus was born our publishing/author relationship.
After a few more months, being dissatisfied with the amount of time I had to market my debut novel, or write on my other subsequent novels, I sold my business and began the process of cancelling my contract with my previous publisher, and called John Bell.  He seemed very happy, and invited me with open arms into the Vabella family.  A few months after that, and a couple of rounds of edited galleys, my second book was published.  At the time, Vabella boasted of nearly ten titles and authors.  What a difference a year can make.  Now Vabella has over twenty published titles and more than a dozen authors, many coming from the CCWC.  I have recently published my fourth novel, and am working diligently on my fifth, and sixth and seventh. 
As you can see …Vabella Publishing is simmering hot! I wish John and his family much, much success.  I couldn’t be more excited to be part of such a wonderful company.  I am also excited for my fellow authors who’ve also joined the Vabella Family.  Congratulations and good luck to Dr. Robert Covel, Thomas Young, Rev. Harley Fiddler, Shelly Murphy, Rev. Daniel Patrick, Dr. Eleanor Wolfe Hoomes, Gary Spillers, Mary Wilburn, Jeanette Pickering, Georgia Adams, Jim Perry and Steve Davis.

Congratulations Winners!

Congratulations Goodreads winners!  You have won an autographed copy of The Blood of Cain – Second Edition.  Thank you for entering the give-a-way! I hope you enjoy the adventure, and I look forward to your reviews.

And the winners are …

Abby M. of New Hope, ALKindra A. of Campbellsville, KYVictoria M. of South Hampton, Great BritainKaitlin K. of Brownwood, TXJocelyn S. of Yonkers, NY

Get Excited

I understand the concept of being humble, but I don’t know if I’ll ever understand how writers, or any artist for that matter, can’t seem to bring themselves to get excited about their own work.  If they don’t love, believe in, and expect a great reception and good sales for their art, why on earth would they expect anyone else to do what they won’t?
Artists MUST get to the point in their lives where other people’s opinions don’t dictate their actions or attitude, which is, of course, a panacea of contradiction, because artists’ success depends wholly on other people’s opinion.   Artists must produce a product that the public will love, purchase and embrace. Success or failure depends on acceptance. 
An artists’ love for their own work is the first step toward success. Creating a marketable and saleable product is the next. Keeping a balance between modesty and drive is crucial.  So, get excited and enjoy the ride.
Till next time,~T.L. Gray 
  

Who Surrounds You?

We’ve been told to be careful with who we hang out with our whole lives, starting with our parents warning us about wayward friends.  Most cautions were not in judgment against them, but for our protection.  When we became teenagers and thought we knew everything, we began making those decisions for ourselves, some resulting in huge mistakes.   This is all part of growing up.  Now that we’re adults, we need to use the wisdom we’ve gathered through our lives to this point, including both from our parents and our mistakes, but this doesn’t need only apply to our friends. As writers we must apply this principle to the people with whom we network in the business. 
A person is usually judged by the friends surrounding them, just as a writer is judged by whom they choose to network.   It is very important that we align ourselves with where we want to go and what we want to achieve, not necessarily where we currently stand.  It is a fact that if a person desires promotion, they must act and dress for the position they want, not the position they currently hold. If you want to be successful, you must align yourself with those who’ve succeeded, not be constantly surrounded by failure. 
Take an assessment.  Who are you investing your time and attention?  To those you admire and respect, or with those who want to hold you back?  Do the people around you encourage, inspire, and incite you to push through, to reach higher, to take another step, or do they accomplish nothing themselves and complain about those who do?  Do all the people around you only placate and pat you on the back, but never offer good, solid, sometimes hard, criticism to push you to your boundaries?  Platitudes are great, but only for the ego. 
A true writer should desire the truth, in a pursuit to improve and perfect their craft, but most often the artistic ego can’t handle the truth or constructive criticism.  An egotist only desires to stroke the ego.  Since becoming a writer and delving into the artistic world, I’ve never met more narcissistic people than those in the artistic guilds.  They’re mostly a bunch of snobs.  I don’t quite understand where this pretentiousness and elitist attitude extends from, but the air is thick with them, and usually the snootiest of the bunch is the one who holds the least amount of natural talent. Combine that with the one-trick ponies, which after twenty years have yet to display another gem of their genius, and it’s easy to find yourselves in company that is designed to hold you back and lead to failure or stagnation.
Be careful with whom you align.  Choose those who sow wisdom, knowledge, encouragement and truth into your life and career, not just their opinions.  Be selective which fellow authors you network with – do they write, market, inspire and encourage the way you hope?  If not, let them go, or else they will drag you down to their level.  However, please be careful not to block opportunities to sow into others who’ve yet to reach your level of success.  Just as you look to move up into the world of success, don’t forget to be a helping hand to others.  Whatsoever you do to the least of these …will be done to you.  Whatsoever you sow, that also shall you reap.  What you do FOR others reflects more on who you are, more than anything you can say.
Seek the opinions and reviews of those with the highest and strictest levels of excellence, and not your friends.  True friends tell you what you ‘need’ to hear, not what you ‘want’ to hear.  However, in my experience, there are few ‘true’ friends in this world, and those who try are often rejected because the recipient’s ego can’t handle the harsh truths that sometimes have to be said.  I’ve lost many of so-called friends because I’ve dared to tell the truth.  But I appreciate everyone in my life who’s dared to sow the truth to and in me.  Because of them, I’ve enhanced my craft and pushed myself to yet another level of excellence. 
I encourage you today.  Seek the next level above you. Write something that pushes you to the edge of your ability and beyond.  Seek a network connection that will help you take a step up.  Reach out to another author in whom you admire and respect, and to whom you are a huge fan.  Take a chance and submit a query to a bigger agent or publisher.  Request a review from someone you know is truthful, yet harsh, and whom you fear may give you hard criticism.  And, look for someone you can lend a hand or bit of encouragement. 
Till next time,~T.L. Gray

Review - Rise of Empire - Michael J. Sullivan

Book: Rise of Empire – (Riyria Revelations #2)Author: Michael J. SullivanPublisher: Orbit (1st Edition)Genre: Fantasy
Book Description:Publication Date: December 14, 2011  Royce and Hadrian have been called upon to aid the struggling kingdom of Melengar as it alone stands in defiance against the newly formed empire. As war approaches a desperate gamble behind enemy lines is their only chance at forming an alliance with the Nationalists to the south.

But Royce has plans of his own and uses this opportunity to discover if an ancient wizard is using Riyria as pawns in his own bid for power. To find the truth, Royce must unravel Hadrian's hidden past. What he discovers will lead them to the end of the known world on a journey rife with treachery and intrigue.

And so continues the second tale of treachery and adventure, sword fighting and magic, myth and legend.

Review:  I’m absolutely blown away.  Part of me feels like I’m betraying some of my favorite epics with the new guys on the block, but I find myself so impressed and infatuated, I can’t help but get lost in my admiration.  Sullivan is quickly climbing *the list* of my all-time favorite authors, because he’s created such wonderfully exciting characters inside a beautifully constructed adventure.  I call it an adventure because there’s a huge difference between reading a story and being pulled into an adventure.  Those who’ve experienced a great book know what I’m talking about.

Where to start?  How to start?  The problem is, I want to go and dive right back into the story, and am a little sad the ride is over.  This review comes at the end of the third installation, because I didn’t want to stop after the end of Rise of Empire to write a review, and immediately jumped right into Heir of Novron .  In fact, I’ve neglected editing on my own novel to enjoy a few days of adventure in the land of Elan. 

Okay, I’m pushing emotion aside and getting down to the stone foundation of the story. After being so impressed and blown away with Theft of Swords , I happily jumped right into Rise of Empire and was so excited to find that it picks right up where the first installation left off.  Well …sort of.  I expected to instantly meet my new favorite pair of heroes, but instead was introduced to a new character, Amilia.  It took only about a page and a half to get over my disappointment at not immediately meeting Riyria, before I was totally consumed with compassion for this poor girl, and dripping with disdain for the wretched hag, Edith Mon.  I know how hard it is to introduce a new character into an already established story.  But characterization and development is one of Sullivan’s greatest strengths.  He doesn’t use descriptions that haven’t been used before, especially in the fantasy realm, but he masterfully uses what’s familiar in such a way as not to bombard or heavily compound them to drown the reader. He delivers just enough saturation to whet the appetite, and then allow the imagination to fill the gaps.  I, for one, appreciate that. 

The story then re-introduces us to Thrace, a brave girl who overcomes some very difficult obstacles in Theft of Swords , again … sort of.  Sullivan does an exceptional job of describing the shell of a person whose survived great tragedy and loss.  Anyone familiar with survival would have little problem instantly relating to Thrace’s (now re-named Modina) state, or the compassion and understanding of Amelia’s role in her life.  This again, is a testament to Sullivan’s ability to master the art of characterization.  I’m a character-driven reader and writer.  I’m always more interested in what’s going on in, and about, a character.  The personal journey of a character is more important than the physical journey in my book (both metaphorically and literally).  I wasn’t expecting this aspect of the story, but definitely found myself completely immersed, both intellectually and emotionally.  (Yes, I’m using a lot of “ly” adverbs. LOL!  I must be disciplined when using them in writing novels, but when it comes to reviews – I let them fly.)

Just when I’ve about forgotten about Hadrian and Royce, being so completely immersed in Modina and Amilia, the boys make a return, and it’s like diving into a pool of cool water after a time sunbathing.  I don’t know why I call them boys, because there’s nothing boyish about them, except their curt sense of humor.  But even they are not the same upon arrival in this second book.  Hadrian is in a sort of depression because he’s reached a point in his life where he desires to step into maturation – living up to his potential and fulfilling some divine purpose.  He’s tired of running from responsibility and facing his destiny.  Royce on the other hand, the carefree and careless wanderer, finds himself in love.  Both, love and purpose pull our heroes into different directions.  There’s so much involved with these two characters that it would probably take several books just to explain it all.  And not just these two, but most of the secondary and third characters as well (Princess Arista, Esrahaddon, King Alric, Hilfred, Degan, Mauvin, Gwen, Magnus, Arcadius, etc.,I could go on, but what’s the point.  They all have their own stories and development, and I’ve come to love and hate them respectively).

In an effort for Princess Arista to prove useful in her male-dominated world, she leads Royce and Hadrian on a quest to try and partner with the rebel forces fighting against the new empire (Boy! That sounds like a Star Wars episode), but find things don’t happen as easy as she imagines.  Her pampered and protected world, and everything she believed and was used to, crumbles around her, and she discovers who she really is beneath the rubble, dirt and persecution, and it happens to made of some pretty strong steel.  I’ve come to admire this character.  While she has flaws, and makes some bad decisions (she is human after all), she’s not weak and needy.  There’s nothing I hate more than a woman who can’t function on their own strength, or find their own identity, without a man. Loving someone should be a choice, not a necessity, and Arista is a great example of the ideal woman in my mind.  She’s also one of the great heroes in this story. She may not fight with a sword of metal, but her wit is a very sharp blade. In this second installation (or the third and fourth parts), Sullivan allows us to take that journey with Arista through all her encounters, failures, mistakes, and her achievements, discoveries and successes.

Like I said earlier, the thing I love most about this series is that it is character driven, even when it comes to the back story, as our characters move through the historical, political, and religious chess board. Again, there’s no new elements in this story that can’t be found in a dozen fantasy stories already written, but how those elements are used, displayed and manipulated is what makes this story stand out from the rest.  It’s like a painter. All painters use the same colors, but what makes them different is how they mix them and apply them to the canvas.  Sullivan is an excellent artist with a great vision, and I love the masterpiece he’s presented.

I don’t want to give too much away with the plot, so I think I’m going to end this review here, and finish it on the last segment of this series. I just hope I was able to convey what I feel is the BEST element of this story and it’s made other readers rush out to experience it for themselves.  I wish Mr. Sullivan the best of luck with this series and hope it brings him much, much, much success. 


Till next time,~T.L. Gray

Review - Theft of Swords - Michael J. Sullivan

Book: Theft of Swords (Riyria Revelations)Author: Michael J. SullivanPublisher: Orbit (1st Edition)Genre: Fantasy
Book Description:Publication Date: November 23, 2011

THEY KILLED THE KING. THEY PINNED IT ON TWO MEN. THEY CHOSE POORLY.  Royce Melborn, a skilled thief, and his mercenary partner, Hadrian Blackwater, make a profitable living carrying out dangerous assignments for conspiring nobles--until they are hired to pilfer a famed sword. What appears to be just a simple job finds them framed for the murder of the king and trapped in a conspiracy that uncovers a plot far greater than the mere overthrow of a tiny kingdom.

Can a self-serving thief and an idealistic swordsman survive long enough to unravel the first part of an ancient mystery that has toppled kings and destroyed empires in order to keep a secret too terrible for the world to know? 


Review:  There is a new author that has found a spot on a special bookcase in my office (or at least will as soon as I order a printed edition – one I hope comes signed); a series of four shelves that hold my all-time favorites.  Such authors that have made this shelf are J.K. Rowling, Garth Nix, Cinda Chima Williams, Christopher Paolini, Rick Riordan, Stephen King, Ursula K. Leguin, Piers Anthony, Charlaine Harris, Jane Austen, Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson, R.T. Kaelin, Anthony Ryan and D.J. MacHale.   His name is Michael J. Sullivan, and I absolutely fell in love with his Riyria series. Well, more to the truth, I fell in love with the two protagonists, Hadrian Blackwater and Royce Melborn.   These two make me think of a young Garth and Hub from the movie Second Hand Lions – they both argue about everything, but when working together surmount impossible odds.
 It didn’t take but perhaps a half of a chapter before I was absolutely hooked.  The chemistry between Hadrian and Royce was illustrated so elaborately and simply, I couldn’t help but instantly draw a clear picture of them in my mind.  I was plucked out of my mundane twenty-first century existence and dropped right into the center of a middle-age fantasy saga.  Yet, Sullivan didn’t go to the King or Jordan extremes with dumping me into the center of several paragraphs of description.  He kept it active, yet colored the scenes in beautifully, allowing my mind to smooth out the edges, which in my opinion is the mark of a true literary artist.
 The story starts with two thieves, doing what they do best – thievery.  Well, actually the story starts off with two thieves on their way to do thievery when they are ambushed by a band of common thieves.  The brilliance of dialogue and character development were poured out by the barrel full in this opening scene, as Hadrian and Royce not only argued with one another while being held-up by arrow and knife-point, but then proceeded to chastise their assailants in the proper procedures of highway robbery, to the point that not only did their accosters stop their attempt to rob them, but aided them on their way, more particularly when they found out the two people  they were trying to rob were the infamous Riyria.

Needless to say, the thieves were successful in their midnight raid, brought back their spoils and divided their profits to all in their little network.  Here we get to meet some minor characters, some that play bigger parts later in the story.

With a job well done, and their storehouse filled, and a decision made to live easy for the upcoming winter, an unexpected and urgent job plops into their laps.  Going against their own set of thief rules (beware of things that sound too good to be true and don’t thoroughly examine the job), they accept a job to steal a sword in order to save a man from dying in a duel for simply ‘looking’ at another’s man wife. This dueler was a man of renowned reputation for being an excellent swordsman, and placed much value and superstition onto a particular sword.  With the offer of a hundred gold coins before and after the theft, the boys found they couldn’t resist, even if they disagreed through the whole consideration.  Once they’ve accepted the job, everything from this point forward goes haywire:  they are set up and accused of killing the king, are imprisoned to face horrible torture and beheading as decreed by the crown prince, yet aided by the princess to kidnap the prince (to save his life), escape with him, and journey to a secret prison to release a five-hundred year old wizard.  What is amazing about this whole journey is that Hadrian and Royce treat each of these exciting adventures as if it were just another day and another job.  Throughout the whole adventure, their comic relief comes at just the right moments.  The story on the whole is not too heavy, too dark and too on edge, but quite balanced with a little of it all. I didn’t want to stop reading.  I wanted to lock myself away and close the door to the world around me, and become completely immersed in this fantasy world.
 The rest of the story includes a couple of great battles, a little magic, a lot of religious persecution, a contest, an evil serpent, a sword, a tower, a conspiracy and a people who not only need, but can’t survive without Hadrian and Royce’s involvement, aided by the elusive wizard Esrahaddon. 
 I loved every minute of this story.  I have my own speculations of what is to come, but I won’t share them here.  In fact, I’m so excited about reading the next installment of I’m going to end this review.  I highly recommend this book and this author.  This makes the third writer I’ve met recently that has really impressed me, and their stories have moved me. 
  Till next time,~T.L. Gray

Goodreads Give-A-Way - The Blood of Cain

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Giveaway ends July 31, 2012.

See the giveaway details at Goodreads.

Enter to win

Birthday Give-A-Way

I love my publisher, Vabella Publishing.  If I haven’t said it lately, I’m saying it today.  What’s even more special is that I know my publisher loves me back.  Not just me, but you too, the readers.  How do I know they share such admiration?
Beginning on Monday, July 23rd – Friday, July 27th, Vabella Publishing will be offering The Blood of Cain – Second Edition for FREE on the Kindle download from Amazon.com in honor of my birthday.   
So, for those of you who had the privilege of reading the First Edition, and haven’t had a chance to get your hands on the new extended (nearly 10,000 more words) Second Edition, here’s your chance.  It’s FREE.  Just go to the Amazon.com, enter The Blood of Cain into your search field, select the NEW Second Edition (it is important you select the new edition labeled (The Arcainians) series, and then click Download for $0.00.  But, you have to wait till Monday.
One of the best presents I could receive, is that you receive The Blood of Cain – Second Editionfor Free. For those who take advantage of Vabella’s gift, I encourage you to let them know how much you appreciate it by posting a review on Amazon, a comment on Vabella’s Facebook Page, and/or a tweet on Twitter.