K.R. Gastreich's Blog, page 19

Cover Reveal: EOLYN, Book 1 of THE SILVER WEB

In a land ravaged by civil war, the Mage King Kedehen initiates a ruthless purge of the magas. Eolyn, last daughter of the magas and sole heiress to their millennial tradition of magic, seeks refuge in the South Woods.

When she meets the mysterious Akmael, heir to the throne of this violent realm, she embarks upon a path of hope, seduction, betrayal, and war. Desire draws Eolyn toward Akmael’s dark embrace, but fate binds her to Corey of East Selen, a cunning mage whose ambition challenges the limits of love and loyalty.

Can she trust either man?

Hunted in a realm of powerful mages and brutal deceptions, Eolyn must find her own path to freedom or she will burn on the pyre.

“Vigorously told deceptions and battle scenes, with a romantic thread.” –Publisher’s Weekly

“Masterfully written.” –The Kindle Book Review

Cover art and design by Thomas Vandenberg.

Anticipated release: March 31, 2016 (Kindle edition)

Pre-Order your copy today!

Speaking to My Past Self

Portrait of Eolyn for the 2nd edition; artwork by Thomas Vandenberg

Have you ever been told to think about what your future self would say to you?

I’ve never actually received this advice, but I’ve heard it given, usually to young people who are facing important challenges or decisions. I suppose people who give this advice do so because it’s worked for them.

Me, I’ve always been a little skeptical about being able to predict what my future self would say about much of anything. So, I’m more inclined to rely on my present instinct, and on the advice of family, friends, mentors, and colleagues, when I’m up against a tough or complicated moment in life.

Recently, however, I’ve had the very interesting experience of speaking to my past self. Revising Eolyn for the second edition became just that: A dialogue with the author I used to be, five (and more!) years ago when we first published the novel.

Here’s some interesting trivia: The second edition of Eolyn is about 40 pages shorter than the first. I’m proud of this, and somewhat surprised. I mean, I knew one of my goals was to turn out a tighter manuscript. But 40 pages?? I definitely exceeded my own expectations.

Not all of that is due to a reduction in word count. I did shave about 6000 words off the second edition. That sounds like a lot, but when you’re looking at a manuscript of 120k, it’s not really. You’d be surprised how many unnecessary “the’s” can be found in one story. And like many authors, I have a tendency to use more words than I need to get a point or an action across. Example:

“He turned and clenched his fists” could be written more simply as “He clenched his fists.” (“Turning” in general is a wasted action in stories; I try to delete the word wherever I find it.)

There were, of course, entire scenes that got the ax. But this didn’t always affect word count, as I wrote several new scenes for the story as well. Still, 6000 words is 6000 words. If we assume about 250 words per page, that accounts for about 24 pages of the manuscript.

What about the other 16?

Well, here’s the interesting part. Those 16 pages can be accounted for, almost precisely, by the consolidation of chapters. The first edition of Eolyn had about 60 chapters; the second edition has 45. The Battle of Aerunden alone comprised about half a dozen chapters; all have now been collapsed into one. If you estimate half a page of white space at the beginning and end of each chapter, that means 15 blank pages have simply been taken out of the book. No fiddling with the word count necessary.

Working with my past self has been a positive experience, all in all. There were passages that I thought needed changing or deleting that Past Me fought vigorously to defend. Other places where Past Me was uncertain, but Present Me was able to tell her, “No, that’s a strong moment after all. Leave it as it is.”

Portrait of Eolyn for the 1st edition, released in 2011. Artwork by Jesse Smolover

The best, of course, was when we came to spots that Past Me was never really satisfied with, and Present Me was able to propose an exciting and workable solution. We are both particularly happy about new scenes for certain characters, such as Corey and Renate, and the overall tightened look and feel of the prose.

All in all, I have to admit I’ve enjoyed working with Me. Narcissistic, I know. But Past Me, while a little nervous about my judgement of her style, was open to change and willing to work hard to polish up an already well-polished story. And Present Me was happy to see that her first novel, written all those years ago, has withstood the test of time, even under the eyes of her own worst critic (Me).

After all these years, Eolyn continues to be an engaging story. While we found many places that benefited from tweaking, at the end of the day, the most important thing I was able to say to Past Me was this: “You’ve written a worthy novel. Take pride in your work. You deserve it.”

That was a very nice thing to hear.

The Un-Success Story

A couple months ago, I watched a documentary about the life of Jim Henson on PBS.

I grew up with the Muppets and always admired the artistry and imagination of Henson’s enterprise. It was interesting to have this behind-the-scenes look at Henson life, and to learn about the personal and professional struggles he dealt with.

One of the moments of the documentary that stuck with me was a very brief discussion of Labyrinth, one in a long string of movies that Henson made.

Labyrinth was a disappointment in Henson’s career. The movie did not succeed at the box office, bringing in only half the amount that it cost to produce. Henson was deeply disappointed by this, and perhaps as a result, Labyrinth would be the last full-length feature film he made before his unexpected death in 1990.

It took almost thirty years before I learned from that PBS documentary last autumn that Labyrinth was considered a failure. Frankly, I found it hard to believe. I remember seeing this movie when it came out. I enjoyed the artistry, the adventure, and the endless string of very clever moments.

Labyrinth was one of the very few films of that era that featured a young woman as its protagonist: Sarah, played by the lovely and talented Jennifer Connelly. The film was bold in its assertion that the only thing a young woman really needed to outwit a devious, powerful, and rather sexy Goblin King was a healthy dose of determination.

The movie resonated with me, in a deep and lasting way.

I’ve since discovered that Labyrinth resonated with a lot of other people, too. It’s one of those films that turns up in conversation every so often, and it is always remembered with fondness.

When David Bowie passed away last weekend, the first thing many of my friends did was sit down and watch Labyrinth, so they could enjoy Bowie’s iconic portrayal of the Goblin King once more.

When a local cinema announced it would be showing a quotable Labyrinth as a benefit for cancer research and in honor of Bowie’s passing, the event sold out within hours. I snagged a ticket, of course. Sunday evening, I enjoyed a theater packed full of people who could quote every line and sing every song of this “failed” two hour fantasy.

Reflecting on the history of Labyrinth brought home to me, once again, the disconnect that often exists between commercial success and artistic impact. I don’t have a solution to this reality, or even any real understanding of the reasons behind it. All I can offer is the enduring observation that time and again, works considered a “flop” on commercial grounds nonetheless hit a deep chord with a large number of people and end up coloring our imaginations for generations to come.

It saddens me that Jim Henson died without knowing his “failure” would become a cult classic, cherished by many for decades after its initial release. Sometimes I wish there were a way to rectify the market measure of success so that it would align more consistently with other measures that are perhaps more profound and important.

But the whims of the market aside, Labyrinth is a testimony to the legacy of the risk-taker, to visionaries like Jim Henson who aren’t afraid to push boundaries in their efforts to show us new worlds and possibilities.

Money comes and goes, but imagination is forever.

 

‘Tis the Season

Detail from the cover-in-progress for the second edition of Eolyn. Artwork by Thomas Vandenberg (copyright 2015).

Unbelievable. Fall semester has once again slipped through my fingers without as much as a by-your-leave.

This will be my last post for 2015. I’m taking a much needed vacation that will involve lots of quality time with my wonderful nieces, both of them young magas in the making.

Big projects are in store for 2016; another reason why I need my rest.

The Hadley Rille imprints of Eolyn and High Maga are being taken off market at the end of this month, in preparation for the release of the second editions, as books 1 and 2 of The Silver Web trilogy.  (Yes, this means that if you want copies of the original versions, you must purchase them now.  We’ve got about 2 weeks at this point before they’re taken out of print.)

The second edition of Eolyn features tighter prose, consolidated chapters, and even some new scenes. All this and more in fewer pages. There’s even a development I did not anticipate when I began the revision: Someone is going to die. That’s right; a character who survived the first edition of Eolyn will now meet their doom before the final chapter of the second edition.  (And yes, I gave an evil laugh when I realized I could get away with this!)

All the best moments that friends and fans of Eolyn have come to love will remain untouched, such as the house of sweet bread, the boy by the river, and of course, the Battle of Aerunden. And every spell-binding exchange between Eolyn and her true love/arch-nemesis Akmael has been conserved.

Depending on how things go with the reboot of Eolyn, I hope to have the second edition of High Maga out before the end of the year. Book 2 will be marketed under a new title, The Sword of Shadows, which I think reflects the mood and scope of the story much better.

The Sword of Shadows will also undergo edits before its re-release, though I don’t anticipate they will be as extensive as what I’ve done for Eolyn. I could be wrong about that, though. Wouldn’t be the first time!

Once we have the first two volumes of The Silver Web in place, the stage will be set for the release of Daughter of Aithne. I am anxious to share this book with the world, as it brings Eolyn’s struggle full circle and gives meaning to everything that happened before.

I wish I could say more, but that would mean spoilers. So all I can ask is that you join me on this new adventure in 2016 as we rediscover, and at last complete, Eolyn’s journey in magic.

I’ll be celebrating the new beginning with a makeover of the web site during the month of January. So, don’t be surprised if you encounter a different look when you return next year.

That’s the news for now. Thank you for your companionship during 2015. I wish you and all your loved ones many blessings this holiday season, and a prosperous and peaceful New Year.

 

Fireside Joys

The other day, as I walked across campus through the brisk morning air, I realized how very much I enjoy winter.

I love to bundle up on frigid days and snuggle beneath the covers during long, frozen nights. I have great childhood memories of snow forts and snowball fights, of sledding and ice-skating, of hot chocolate and angels in the snow. Somehow the innocent joy of those moments always returns when I get the first whiff of winter from those northern winds.

Now instead of snow forts and snowball fights, one of my greatest winter pleasures is reading. This holiday season, I will not be curling up next to the fireplace to read my books. Instead, much of my reading will probably happen during a 15-hour flight to visit my brother and his family. What I don’t read in flight might be read on a beach in Thailand, or in my brother’s apartment in Hong Kong – But there only if my 4- and 8-year old nieces allow me to read while I’m visiting. I’m sure they’ll have other plans in mind – which hopefully will involve reading a few of their books  to them!

For this holiday season, I’ve collected four titles so far. I am avidly seeking more, so if you have any suggestions, I’d be delighted to hear them. In the mean time, here’s my line-up:

Seeking Carolina by Terri-Lynne DeFino. Long a fan of Terri-Lynne, I pre-ordered her latest novel and have had my copy since it was released back in October. But alas, this semester has been sheer madness, and I still haven’t finished my modest autumn list (The Red Queen by Phillipa Gregory and The Lost Son by Tessa Gratton). As soon as I do, Seeking Carolina is up next. I’m not sure how I’ll take to romance at the moment, seeing as my own recent heartaches have me a little more bitter than sweet, but who knows? Maybe a good romance is just what I need.

The Child by Keith F. Goodnight. I’ve got a very interesting story behind this one. It turns out Keith and I worked in the same lab together way back when, at Rice University, while he was a grad student and I a lowly undergrad. Years later, through independent journeys, we’ve both ended up writing and publishing speculative fiction. I’m very excited about reading his science fiction novel, which comes to me highly recommended. It looks like it’s going to be a great psychological thriller.

Under Heaven, by Guy Gavriel Kay. I won’t make it to mainland China on this trip, but I’ll be pretty darn close. Probably closer than I will ever be again. What better time to start an epic novel about the Tang Dynasty by one of my all-time favorite authors? I just know that reading Under Heaven is going to make this one of the best Christmas holidays ever.

The Famine of Men by Richard H. Kessin. Recommended to me by a good friend, this is another science fiction tale written by a scientist. And get this – it’s about a deadly virus that affects men, and therefore can only be studied by women scientists. How cool is that? Like Goodnight’s The Child, this promises to be a great thriller. I’ll certainly need something to keep me on the edge of my seat during that long flight!

So, that’s my list. From distant past to speculative future, I’d say I’m set for a great journey of imagination.

I only wish classes were over, so I could start NOW!

How about you? What’s on your fireside list for this season? Inquiring minds want to know…

Ringing in the Holidays

Eolyn and her companion novel High Maga are just $1 through the end of the week. 

The winter holidays are just around the corner. I’ll be taking a lengthy break, starting around mid-December, so you’ll only see a few more posts from me before the new year starts.

I’m happy and proud to report that I met my personal goal for NanoWrimo this year: The Hunting Grounds is now complete at just under 50k. That means I wrote about 25k this month alone. I’ve spent about a week now recovering from that effort! (Thank goodness for Thanksgiving break.)

I’m not sure about the ultimate fate of this novella. It needs reworking, obviously, and good going-over by my various writing groups and critique partners. But once that’s done, I’m tempted to try the self-publishing route with this shorter work. Given the nature of the story (dark fantasy, paranormal romance), I will probably shoot for a September release. Stay tuned for more updates in 2016.

In other news, a great book sale is happening right now at my publisher’s, Hadley Rille Books. They are celebrating their 10th anniversary by putting all ebook editions on sale for just $1. This includes the Hadley Rille imprints of Eolyn and High Maga. To see a full list of titles, visit the blog of editor Eric T. Reynolds. This is a great opportunity to stock up on your winter reading!

Speaking of winter reading, tune in next week to see my book list for the holidays. I’ve got some great titles lined up, some by friends or friends of friends; one by my hero, Guy Gavriel Kay.

Wishing all of you a great week!

 

NanoWrimo Day 20: Doing It My Way

I’ve slowed down a little since my last post, adding about 7,000 words to put my total count this month just over 20k.

This is nowhere near where I need to be if I’m serious about finishing 50k by next weekend, but that’s okay. I am really happy with my progress. Usually when the semester is in session, it takes about 12 weeks to get 20,000 new words into a story. Hitting that number in just under 3 weeks seems nothing short of a miracle. More importantly, I am very close to finishing this novel. Or rather, novella, as it looks like The Hunting Grounds will top off at about 45k.

While I don’t anticipate winning the NanoWrimo grand prize this year, I’ve learned some important things by participating.

For one, I’ve seen how quickly I can put out a story if I set aside time for writing every day.

I’ve also learned how quickly I wear myself out if I set aside time for writing every day.

Creativity takes tremendous energy, and to squeeze in these snippets of writing time on top of everything else I have to do as a biology professor has not been easy. Especially now, with us barreling full-throttle toward the end of the semester at Avila. I’ve often said that whoever invented NanoWrimo was not an academic or an educator, as November is hands down the worst time of the year to ask an educator to write every day. Call me back in June, please. Maybe I’ll sign up then.

Another important lesson of NanoWrimo is the double-edged sword of comparing yourself to other people. Of course, I’ve known this for a long time, but NanoWrimo has given me the opportunity to reflect once more on the topic.

On the one hand, being a part of this great race and having the example and encouragement of other writers can serve as a true inspiration. But there are pitfalls in becoming discouraged if your own word counts start to fall behind those of your buddies. There’s also the constant temptation of putting down words for the sake of putting down words, and therefore spewing out a lot of junk just to reach that magic number every day.

NanoWrimo has convinced me more than ever that this is not the kind of writing that brings out the best of my personal craft. Sometimes my words are ready to flow rapidly onto the page, but sometimes my mind needs to mull and process. To dream, so to speak, rather than just work work work. I have to respect that and give myself permission to fall behind relative to others, to let go of the arbitrary goal that compelled me to sign up for this event in the first place.

My most important lesson from NanoWrimo? Well, I may change my mind a couple months down the road, but for the moment, I’d say it’s this: I love writing novellas!

If I finish The Hunting Grounds by next weekend, which I’m pretty confident I will, then I will have punched out a respectable story in just under seven months. This boggles my mind, especially since each installment of The Silver Web took almost 3 years to complete.

I’m so excited about novellas that I’m ready to try another one when I finish this project. I have an idea that’s been brewing in my mind for a while, set in a different time and place, that I think will be very amenable to this format. More on that when the time comes…

That’s this week’s update from the front lines of NanoWrimo. There’s some exciting news coming near the end of November, including Hadley Rille Book’s annual birthday sale. Please stop by again next week to find out more!

Nanowrimo Day 10

I’m clipping along this month at just under 13,000 words so far. Not quite the pace I need in order to reach 50k by the end of the month, but well within the range of my personal goals.

I already wrote a lengthy reflection about Nanowrimo over on Heroines of Fantasy this week, so I won’t bother you with the same discourse here. But the take-home point bears repeating: What I’ve enjoy most about the experience is the opportunity to focus exclusively on my story.

I’d almost forgotten what this feels like, to have every spare moment dedicated to crafting a novel. I haven’t indulged in this luxury since the writing of Eolyn, mostly because publishing brings with it a host of other responsibilities that don’t necessarily involve, well, writing.

But this month, Nano has given me an excuse to think about nothing else but my novel, and I’m very grateful for that.

I’m going to leave it at that for now, because I have a word count to meet today. Characters and situations are crying out for my attention. But I’d love to hear from other Nanowrimo folks out there, if you have a spare moment. How’s your month going? What do you enjoy about the experience? Share your thoughts, and then, write on!

Nanowrimo Day 3

For the first time ever, I’ve thrown my hat in the ring for Nanowrimo. I’ve never quite seen Nano as the right match for my writing style, but this year, it just so happens I have a project that might be amenable to the challenge.

I’ve set my personal goal at half the official number. I think 25K would be enough to finish out my current WIP, a paranormal romance called The Hunting Grounds. What’s it about, you ask? Well, here’s the pitch:

Mystery descends on Helen’s world when she loses three days of her life. What should be memories of a forest retreat have been replaced by disturbing hallucinations. As Helen struggles to discern fantasy from reality, a striking man of insatiable passions appears and offers his guidance – in exchange for a price.  

Anxious to make sense of her dreams, Helen follows this stranger down a path of shadows. Her realities weave into one: a world of flesh and blood inextricably intertwined with a realm of dangerous spirits. As sensual dreams merge into waking nightmares, Helen begins to suspect the man who seduces her and the predator that stalks her are one and the same.

Hah! Did that give you chills? I hope so. If not, that means I need to work on it some more.

This has been a really fun story to write, and a very different sort of adventure from Eolyn and her companion novels. It’d be wonderful to be done or nearly done by the end of this month. But even if I make significant progress, I’ll be happy.

Most of all, I’m hoping Nano will give me the opportunity to connect with more writers. There are several write-ins scheduled for the Kansas City area. I’ll attend my first one tomorrow.

Of course, I could be writing right now, but as luck would have it, the year I finally decided to do Nano is also the year the Royals finally won the World Series. So I’m watching the victory parade from the comfort of my living room. It’s so amazing to see downtown Kansas City awash with blue. I’d say I wish I was there, but I’ve never been into big crowds. So I’m fine where I am, seeing Union Station and the World War I Memorial from a bird’s eye view.

These are good days to be in this town. Everyone is in the mood for celebration.

One day at a time

Do you ever go through periods when you feel like every decision you’ve ever made was somehow wrong?

It’s the cruelest, most insidious sort of self-punishment we can put ourselves through: comparing our lives against the image we once imagined for our future, and beating ourselves up because a handful of pieces are simply not there.

Sometimes those pieces are missing because of chance. Sometimes they never fell into place because, whether we admit it to ourselves or not, we are better off without them. Sometimes they’ve been snatched away by the actions and decisions of others, or by other circumstances beyond our control.

In all cases, when pieces that are important to us turn up missing in our lives, it is not due to any lack of effort on our part. All of us do our best with the gifts given to us, especially when we are fighting for something, or someone, we love. But even when we’ve done everything possible to keep a dream alive, sometimes the dream simply falters and crumbles, and all we are left with is emptiness.

Despite all evidence to the contrary, we blame ourselves. We look in the mirror and say, It’s your fault. Yours alone. You were inadequate, unaware, incapable. Unable to recognize what needed to be done, to respond in a way that might have secured what was so important to you. 

We feel undeserving of the grace of the universe. Or worse, we begin to suspect that the universe is conspiring against us.

I’m not new to these storms; they have come and gone all my life, and over time, I’ve developed strategies for weathering them.

Weathering a storm, unfortunately, is not the same thing as avoiding the pain. When the loss is real, there’s no way to avoid pain, because pain is the emotion that defines the depth of our love and passion. But I’ve found ways to stay afloat when relentless tides of pain are generated by harsh disappointments in life.

What do I cling to? A conscientious awareness of the blessings I do have. The company of friends and family. The distraction of work and hobbies. The escape of my stories. The healing power of dance. The whisper of trees on a cloudy day. The messages in my dreams.

None of this – none of it – deadens the pain of that one crucially important piece of my world that has been lost to me. But all of it keeps me afloat, and helps me get up to face each new dawn, despite the tears that I continue to shed.

One day at a time, I tell myself.

One day at a time.