Barbara G. Tarn's Blog, page 107
July 19, 2015
Sunday Surprise
And it’s a guest! Smashwords Authors group monthly feature on Goodreads! Ladies and gentlemen, please welcome Elizabeth Grace Foley!
Where do you live and write from?I’ve lived my entire life in upstate New York.
Why do you write?
Perhaps…because I can’t help it? I’ve been making up stories in my head ever since I was a little girl, and as I grew older, the impulse to write them down and refine them into real, carefully-crafted fiction grew stronger and stronger. It’s just something that I love to do.
When did you start writing?Technically, my first fiction writing was done on sheets of paper stapled together to make “books” almost as soon as I learned how to write. I was always writing something and occasionally daydreaming about being an author someday, but I really began to get serious about writing and developing my craft about seven or eight years ago, I think.
What genre(s) do you write?
Everything I write comes under the heading of historical fiction. I’ve written in several sub-genres or variations on the genre, though—Westerns are my main interest; I also write historical mystery, and I’ve written a few short stories set in other periods (i.e. the Civil War and Great Depression).
What does your writing routine consist of?My daily routine isn’t carved in stone; I like to do most of my actual sit-down writing in the morning when my mind is freshest. My projects have a basic routine, though—I handwrite the first draft, then type it and edit as I go. After having some family members and beta readers read it and give feedback, I do several rounds of edits as needed, both on paper and on the computer.
What do you feel are your strengths as a writer? How have you developed these qualities?
Well, I’ve been told by readers that my writing has an old-fashioned feel and authentic-sounding dialogue for historical fiction. If that’s so, I credit reading plenty of older literature all my life, which is great for making that sort of thing second nature. Personally, I think creating interesting, likable characters may be one of my strengths, possibly because it’s one of the things I enjoy most. Almost all of my stories begin with characters that I build the plot around.
Where do you find your inspiration? Do you put yourself in your stories?To answer the first part of that—well, pretty much everywhere. Books, movies, history, life in general. History is one of my biggest inspirations. To the second part—ah, that’s the trick question for a writer! I’ve never deliberately based a character off myself, but I know bits of my personality and ways of thinking must creep into all different characters and stories inadvertently.
Outliner or improviser? Fast or slow writer?
I outline longer works to give myself a sense of where I’m going, but not too rigidly. For short stories I usually just make a list of scenes. And slow writer, definitely!
Tell us about your latest book (add link if published)My most recently published book is Wanderlust Creek and Other Stories , a collection of Western short stories. My personal favorite of the collection is the title story “Wanderlust Creek,” which is about a young rancher and his wife struggling to hold onto their land and their dreams in the face of adversity from without and within.
Indie publishing or traditional publishing – and why?
Indie. I learned about indie publishing at just the right time, after I’d been trying to find a way into the traditional short story scene, but struggling unsuccessfully to find markets that accepted the kind of story I was writing. A lot of things about it appealed to me: the aspect of creative control, the favorable royalty system, and no need to search for those markets.
Any other projects in the pipeline?The fourth entry in my Mrs. Meade Mysteries series, The Silent Hour, will be releasing this fall. Right now I’m working on revising a historical/Western novel manuscript, but I know it’s going to need a lot more work, so there’s no timeline for its release yet. One day!
What is your goal as a writer and what are you doing to achieve it?
I’m better with short-term goals than I am with long-term. But my ambition has always been to write a novel, so the one big step I’m working toward is to make that a reality. I’d like to write any number of historical novels; I have plenty of ideas stored up. Right now I’m just working steadily away on the manuscript that I hope will be my first full-length novel, trying to make it the best work I know how to do.
What is the best piece of writing advice you’ve ever been given?I’ve occasionally been plagued with doubts over whether what I was writing was “serious” enough or meaningful enough, especially compared to what other writers were doing. Then one day I saw this tweet by Austin Kleon, author of Steal Like an Artist: “Whenever I have tried to do what I thought was ‘serious’ it has thrown me off the scent of my own talents.” That was a big encouragement and relief to me—it’s encouraged me to focus on my own writing strengths and do what I find most enjoyable and meaningful, and not compare my work to others’ so much.
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July 17, 2015
Random Friday
While I wait for some more feedback, I’m already changing things around again… taking out other points of view and researching the other characters so I can have a clearer idea of how things go. And the discarded first ending? It’s not going to vanish. A condensed version will come out as comic book – chibi-style. Which will allow me to use the whole first page for the title “Samantha the Witch and the Desi Vampire”! :)
I have written it (it’s about 20 pages), but I won’t start working on it until probably Rajveer the Vampire comes out! I still need to draw that last chapter of S.K.Y.B.A.N.D., color the strips and other vignettes and possibly go back to my usual pencil portraits. Maybe when it cools down! :)
I’ll leave you with some sketches of the alternate ending – cover and lettering attempts while I was supposed to pay attention at a DayJob course…
July 15, 2015
Writer Wednesday
I don’t know on your side of the world, but here it’s veeeery hot. Hasn’t been this hot since 2003. So my brain is kinda mushy, but I managed to wrap up a few projects. Rajveer the Vampire and some Star Minds Interregnum stories.
And I wrote a short story, “recycled” from an old graphic novel, for prompt submission. And I’m waiting for another couple of submissions. So, I might not be publishing, but I’m submitting, therefore I’m waiting for more rejection letters to pile up in my folder! :)
This week I want to write two more shorts of the vampires series, one for a publication and the other for the Ink Slinger’s Halloween anthology (which might or might not be the first chapter of book 2). I’m still not sure about the series title, but I guess Vampires Through Centuries will have to do – unless I come up with something better! :)
Still working on the publisher’s site (and cleaning up this blog a little – I might make a new header too soon, or maybe not! ;) I changed the Italian blog because it’s the only actual newsfeed in Italian, but this is still independent from Unicorn Productions) where you might see a new title, but not really the announcement, since D2D support hasn’t come back to me yet.
Anyhow, Star Minds Chasing Stardom is almost out… with the marvelous cover of Mighty Maurizio Manzieri. The book page still misses some links, but well… like I mentioned, I’ll announce new release on UPB from now on – but I really wanted you guys to see this cover (since the blog has 500+ followers and the publisher site none yet).
By the way, nobody answered to my question/giveaway for Rajveer the Vampire… either you still haven’t found the blog post, or you’re too shy, or you think the answers are already given, or… I don’t know. Even if you’re not Indian, I think the answer is pretty obvious – from the book blurb itself, but well…
I’m still willing to give to the first 10 (TEN) people who guess why he has that symbol on his forehead the PDF of the first (UNEDITED) chapter one month and a half before everybody else. For a chance to this sneak-preview, send your answers to barb (at) unicornproductionsbooks (dot) com. Or use the contact form above…
No writerly links, although I have read some writerly wisdom around the blogosphere… Have a great week!
July 12, 2015
Cover Art for a Vampire Novel makes the Caricaturist travel into the Past.
Barb:
Sunday surprise! It’s too hot to improvise, so I’m reblogging Mighty Cover Artist – who did a marvelous job – adding a little-sort-of-kinda giveaway. I really appreciated the way she did Rajveer up to the tiniest details, including that symbol in his forehead. The first 10 (TEN) people who guess why he has it will receive the PDF of the first (UNEDITED) chapter one month and a half before everybody else. For a chance to this sneak-preview, send your answers to barb (at) unicornproductionsbooks (dot) com. Have a great Sunday! :)
Originally posted on Shafali's Caricatures, Portraits, and Cartoons:
Though this might be news to my Blogging101 co-bloggers, my old friends and visitors know that I own a Time Machine.
It is an old 2052 model TimMaX110, but except for sundry fuel issues, it works just fine. I confess that I bought it online. There were many options – at different price-points; the Chinese was the cheapest, the Made-in-Germany was the most expensive (and the possibly the best), but finally I settled for the Made-in-America TimMaX110. All these models are from the future, so you wouldn’t have heard of them. It should suffice to say that I own a TimMaX, which sputters a bit while revving up, its fuel gauge doesn’t work, once in a while it lands in odd times and places, and while its mileage does burn a hole in my purse, the pickup is so good that it almost leaves the rear-end of the machine behind.
When I…
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July 9, 2015
Random Friday
Dear Hrithik,
since you inspired me a lot in the past couple of years (or more), I thought I’d share, hoping to inspire you…
First of all, thank you for finally giving a face to Kol-ian’s gorgeous brother-in-law Ker-ris Shermac! There is a fleeting mention that he looks like you in Book 3 – Slave Traders. Considering that he was a very secondary character in the original version of Book 1 – Technological Angel, thank you for inspiring me both in Star Minds the Trilogy and its prequel/companion Star Minds Snippets. I even pulled out two snippets about Ker-ris in Mind Control. That was 2012.
2013 – second body switch, Ciaran&Harith. I had a lot of fun writing this. I could see the movie! You’d probably hate Harith, but I could easily write a screenplay for that (besides, the most naughty stuff is on Ciaran). A challenging role (two people in the same body), but well… if I can’t have the movie with my original virtual cast, I don’t want it to be a movie! ;)
2014 – I won Honorable Mention at Writers of the Future contest with The Hooded Man – a mix between Robin Hood and Zorro in an Indian-like setting (it’s my fantasy world, heavily India-and-Persia-inspired). He’s even called Hrithikesh (but it’s not set in India, I swear, it’s a fantasy world!).
2015 – you can look forward to Rajveer the Vampire, born in Chittorgarh in AD 1274 and turned into a bloodsucker two years before the first jahuar (AD1303) – at the time of beautiful Rani Padmini… And he stays mostly in northern India for most of his long life!
Most of these characters are actually younger than you are now, but who cares? Hope I inspired you as much as you inspired me. Now stop the selfies and go back to work.
And if you’re looking for ideas for Krrish4, I can make you both the good and the bad (and without spending 3hours a day in makeup department) – someone else suggested a very negative role for you, who’s better than Bad Krrish? ;)
p.s. on that topic, your son seems ready to play Krishna’s son in Krrish4… just sayin’! :)
July 8, 2015
Writer Wednesday
I finished redrafting Rajveer the Vampire. Cut out 11 pages, added in almost 40. It’s a 50K novel now, and my dear betas who read the first draft might not recognize it – well, at least not the end. I’ve added as much meat as I could, and it’s still an historical (fantasy) story.
One might think it’s easier to write in the present, but when one starts on the historical path, even 10 years ago, things were different! Thank Google for the instant answer to my many questions (although it screws Google analytics and their attempted targeted advertising – which I ignore anyway, LOL) while writing the new ending – including the fact that in 2005 there were Blackberry phones more than Smartphones.
Technicalities, but some readers are… well, you know them. Although since I’ve put vampires in the story, they can’t real expect total accuracy. I try to be as accurate as I can in the historical bits, but it’s still fiction – much like Kris Rusch’s musings on Writing for the Ages and dated science in old sci-fi stories.
Funny also that I added a questionnaire at the end of Rajveer – not as extensive as this one, but still with specific questions on pacing and other things, which I normally don’t. I guess whoever will read the second and final draft will get some of those questions too…
I mostly need to be told where I went too fast, where I forgot setting and if there are glaring plot holes, and that’s why I’m not really into paid beta services, although apparently they provide deep feedback. I only want to know where you – as a reader – stopped. Or what kept you going. Or… well, you get the point.
Writerly links – Joe Konrath fisking John Scalzi on (you can guess) Amazon KDP Select/Unlimited new paying system… Even if most of last year’s revenue for me was from Amazon Italia, I’m not Amazon exclusive and sales sank anyway this year (maybe also because I haven’t uploaded anything in months, although I’ve started the next translation).
It’s a roller-coaster – and e-books are forever. I might not be able to quit DayJob yet, but eventually I will. Even if the vampire stories don’t take off, I’ll probably keep writing them – one a year, since it’s historical fantasy that needs research – because I’m having fun in creating a different kind of universe, set on Earth, based on Earth history, but with enough fantasy to be fun.
And I don’t think you need to answer all the 50 questions about your author platform. But yes, you do need to ask some questions. I still don’t have (and don’t want) a Twitter account and still struggle with keywords, but well… you never stop learning! It’s constantly a work-in-progress, like my publisher’s page! ;)
I’m skipping the Smashwords sale, but I’m already on the Blanket Permissions List on DriveThru, therefore participating in the “X-mas in July” sale with all titles at 25%off – only on DriveThruComics and DriveThruFiction… Have a great weekend!
July 5, 2015
Sunday Surprise
Having skipped a whole month, I thought I’d start this one with another WoW Sunday – words of wisdom, writers on writing and whatnot. The previous post like this was May 31. So it’s not been much more than a month! :) Have a great Sunday!
In the end, I don’t think that potential book sales are worth compromising my own integrity over. There will be other opportunities at some stage that do not give me such concerns. In the meantime, I will write my books and know that there is more to being me, the author, than how many or how few books I sell each week.
There are no wrong approaches. The fact that we have a choice, and we can look at the value-added services that agents and editors provide and decide for ourselves if they’re worth the costs, is a good thing.
Beware anyone saying you don’t have to learn this business. You do. If you were applying for a job, you’d research the company. If you were investing in a stock, you’d check its history. If you want to make money writing, you have to do more than just write. The more you learn, the more you can refine your goals, and the better your decisions will be.
We need to do better in the future. Coverage of this industry should shift to coverage on what’s being done for readers and what’s being done for writers. These are the only two parties that matter. If publishers disappeared tomorrow, writers would continue to write great works of fiction and non-fiction. If Amazon disappeared tomorrow, readers would still seek these works out. The middlemen are not necessary. They are not crucial. They exist to serve readers and writers only.
Books are important to the future of mankind. You are the creator of books. That makes you special, and it also burdens you with a special responsibility. No one else can create what you have within you. Your writing represents the manifestation of your life, your dreams, your soul and your talent. You’re special. Others might think you’re suffering from delusions of grandiosity but so what? What do they know? If you don’t believe in yourself, who will?
Find success and satisfaction in the journey of publishing. Know that the measure of your importance and the measure of your contribution to book culture and humanity cannot be measured by your sales alone. The moment you reach your first reader, you’ve done your part to change the world. And that’s just the beginning.
If you publish for the right reasons and you adopt best practices that make your books more available and more desirable to readers, your future is as bright as your imagination.
July 3, 2015
Random Friday
And the publisher’s page is up! There’s still some work to do, but well… this weekend, I guess I’ll be busy again. Writing, hopefully drawing and completing what I need to complete on the web page – probably “cleaning” this blog as well. Some of those pages up there will simply link to Unicorn Productions page!
And I’ll take off the widget for the newsletter subscription on this blog. I’ll send an email to the two people who signed up so far to tell them to do it again on the publisher’s page. Of course for news and other crazy stuff, you can always come here, but if you’re a reader and you don’t care about things unrelated to my books, you can migrate there and be updated only on new releases or what I’m working on.
I won’t post regularly there, since this year I don’t have a regular publishing schedule. That’s why I haven’t set up anything on Patreon yet either. Too busy with redrafting and expanding and writing new stuff. And submitting, so until I know if stories are accepted or rejected, I can’t publish them. Sigh.
I have mentioned a cover rebranding. The wonderful artist Marta Baroni is working on the second batch (that includes the titles of the discarded pen name), but in the meantime you can see what great job she did with the Italian titles. Unfortunately I’m having trouble on Kobo with a couple of titles, if they don’t solve the issue by the end of the week, I’ll send those two titles via Smashwords.
A special thank to Silvano, who besides being a great artist is also a wonderful web designer! :) And the WordPress software, of course. If I had to study HTML to start a web page, I’d never do it! ;) Back to work on Rajveer… I already added 6000words and haven’t even started on the new ending… my dear betas won’t recognize it when it comes out! :D
Have a great weekend! :)
