Deborah J. Chavez's Blog, page 8

Happy Tuesday

Another Tuesday, another blog post. Yes, I've got a pattern and I follow it. Silly, I know. However, that pattern keeps me writing every day. I learned that an hour a day of writing was a good pattern to get into. Mostly that hour expands to multiple hours, depending upon where in the novel I am. In the early stages, most of my time is spent developing the timeline, conducting the research, and building new characters or adding information about repeat characters. These are very necessary steps in building a book, and there are a lot of stops and starts in that process. Funny though, that I have to stop myself from drafting a chapter as I add all those pieces of information in. For example, in the new novel, based in Montana, I found myself writing dialog even before I really knew a particular character. Of course, now that I know him better, I'll have to go back and make sure that dialog really sounds like him. The other tricky part is making those bits and pieces that I added to specific chapters flow as the story moves along.

Tuesday is blog day

I've been working on the next novel. It'll be based on a national forest in Montana. I have decided which three perspectives to use and have built those characters. Of course, one is Harley. I really enjoy her character. She's flawed, but quite likable, with a touch of badass thrown in. Having her sidekick as Gemma certainly helps make her relatable to everyone. One of the other main characters comes to us from the previous novel, Colorado Searing. We did not learn much about this character in the last book, so we have plenty to learn about the person. Like past novels, Harley keeps in touch with family and friends through phone calls and text messages, so you get to reconnect with them and get to know them better. I haven't decided yet which new tidbits about Harley and Gemma will get included. As I generally do, I decide how the book will end before I outline the front and the middle sections. I have to say, though, I sometimes change my mind and the ending. Seems strange but I don't always know exactly how the book will progress. Fun times!

Giveaways are tricky

I have been trying to set-up a giveaway for my new release, Colorado Searing. Seems pretty straight-forward at first glance. It's not. It's tricky. I did get my novel uploaded, I got all the information in (with just a few errors as I learned what the form was asking for), and then got an error message saying the cover was missing and must be there for the giveaway. I uploaded the cover and it said I either had the wrong type of file or the file was too large. I tried again, then again. Failed. Again and again. I know I'll eventually get it figured out. After all, I figured out how to write a novel, how to develop a story, how to make characters lovable (or not), and then how to navigate Kindle Create and the publishing process. It's all a learning curve for me and I thank you for your patience.

Colorado Searing is published

Whew. The fourth installment of the Harley Fremont and Gemma series is now available in ebook and paperback formats. My reviewers stayed under a month of time to finish and my cover artist was done early. My reviewers said I have hit the point where I've learned my craft. I surely hope so. Still, they found several ways to make the book better than it was. I'm very grateful for that. I just love those last parts of the process using Kindle Create to finalize the book and preview it. What I like less is figuring out all the key words and categories to define the book. I'm hoping this book catches people's attention and they become fans and followers. Now it is time to move ahead and get novel five moving along. I hope you enjoy book four and I hope to get your review ratings and comments.

It's a process

Books take time. they take energy, they take research and planning. As I wait on book four to be fully reviewed and edited, I began work on book five. Previously, I had held back on starting new books until the latest book was published. Until this one. It seems the new story needs to be told. I have about twenty pages of notes so far. Yep, that's right....notes. Paper and pencil, old school stuff. Sometimes old school is okay. It's even better when mixed with new tools. I'll use the notes to get ideas down quickly as they occur to me but I'll simultaneously use my writing program to hold my research papers. I also use the writing program to keep all my characters up-to-date. For example, if Harley has a childhood memory, then I copy her memory into my character description. It's fun to be sure Harley keeps growing as a person and keeps those memories coming too. I have not planned everything we'll learn about Harley in the next novel but I'm confident we'll learn some fun and interesting things that make us love her more and more.

Can you feel it?

Spring is coming! Yes, my Southern California winter was mild. Still, the promise of Spring always makes me smile, makes me feel uplifted. I've seen the daffodils popping up in my neighborhood - now there's a flower of hope. I know the hummingbirds will come back soon (not all of them left but the population is reduced), and I know the dive bombing birds protecting their nests are on the way. I know my allergies will kick in. I see the good and the more challenging. Still, I love the Spring. When I start writing a new novel, I feel like a new season has come. I know the challenges that are ahead and yet, I go willingly. I start the searches on the Internet about places and things. I start taking copious notes (yep, old fashioned pencil and paper), and ponder just how devious the bad guys need to be, just how much danger I can put my protagonist in, or even harder, how much danger for her dog? I think about which natural area I want to highlight and what barriers will slow the protagonist. The new season is upon us. Can you feel it?

Blog for a Tuesday in Feb

Someday life will get back to normal. We're not there yet. Too many people have been hit by this pandemic, either personally or socially. As I drafted book three, Oregon Unrest, and book four, Colorado Searing, I had to decide how to handle the pandemic or if should simply ignore it. There's something to be said for either choice. The novels are set in contemporary times so including something about the pandemic would lend authenticity to them. On the other hand, these are novels and people need relief from these harsh times. In those two books I decided to include the pandemic but be light-handed about it. What do I mean by that? Characters wear face masks, they keep some distance, and they go about their lives much like many readers do. Kudos to all who are doing their best to get by. Condolences to those who have lost family or friends.

First post - hello!

I'm an author with a love of nature, so every one of my books connect with nature in some way. That love of nature began from a very young age, when my family started tent camping. Although my tent camping days are well behind me now, I still camp using a small motorhome. I am also a lover of dogs, I've always had a dog and can't see the day when I wouldn't. Even in college, when I lived in married student housing, they allowed me an exception, so I could have a dog live with me. My college studies were in Sociology and my career as a Research Social Scientist in the Forest Service allowed me to use that training and knowledge. In that career, I published books and journal articles. Included in those articles were studies of law enforcement within the Forest Service. Scientific writing is a vastly different enterprise compared to writing fiction novels. I always knew I'd eventually become a writer of novels. Retirement afforded me that opportunity. I was stuck when it came to finding a topic that might be book length. A couple of years ago I was mulling over topics when my son reminded me a I know a lot about the Forest Service and I should write about things I know. The Harley Fremont and Gemma (Harley's Rhodesian Ridgeback) series came from that discussion. Each book in the series touches on the things I know: nature, camping, motorhomes, Forest Service, law enforcement, and dogs.