Barbara G. Tarn's Blog, page 124
September 28, 2014
Sunday Surprise
My name is Brenda de Zorig and I’m a journalist for the Konigtown Gazette. I’ve been on the road for years as an actress in an itinerant company, but eventually decided to go back to my hometown to start living of the thing I like the most – writing. So while I write my Masterpiece, I took this job at the Gazette and they send me on various assignments… I thought I might as well starting interviewing random people. Since I intend to write fiction, but truth is always stranger than fiction, I’m eager to hear about people out there – on my world or beyond.
So… oh, hi there, little one! Tell me a little about yourself.
“I’m Polly, and I’m 8 years old!”
Describe your appearance in ten words or less.
“Small, with sapphire blue eyes, golden-blonde hair, and freckles.”
Do you have an enemy or nemesis? If so, who are they and how did they become an enemy?
“I don’t know what nemesis means, but I know what an enemy is, and I don’t really have one of those. If the rest of the elves find me in the elf world then they might want to be my enemies though. I didn’t do anything bad or anything like that, but Derwyn and Arael – they’re my friends, even though they’re elves – they told me humans did bad things before, so now we’re not allowed in the elf world.”
Ah, yes, Humans tend to do a lot of bad stuff to magical beings! Happens in my world too – in fact we’ve lost touch with all the elves and faeries of our world! Would you kill for those you love? And would you die for them?
“I don’t want to die, and I don’t want anyone else to either. Mummy says my Grandma and Grandpa died, but that was because they were old, which still isn’t nice, but Mummy says it’s OK for old people to die. I’m not old, so it’s not OK for me to die. That’s why it has to be a secret that I found the door to the elf world when I was lost in the woods.”
Oh, I promise I won’t tell anyone. And of course you’re too young to die! I’m sure you’ll live at least to my age and way beyond – especially if you found some magic! Where do you live?
“I live on planet Earth in the human world, because I’m a human. Did you know there are other worlds? I didn’t, but there are. Don’t tell anyone though; it’s a secret. Anyway, my house is on the edge of the woods. It’s not a big house, but it’s a nice house, with plants growing on the outside of the walls. And I have a little attic bedroom all for myself.”
That’s nice! And I am fron another world, so I know about this… Are you involved in a relationship? If so, with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
“Ewww! That means kissing and stuff! That’s so gross!”
LOL! Sorry, you’re right. I just got these silly questions… maybe I should skip some! What is the biggest challenge you face in the story?
“I’ve got to find the purple pumpkin so I can make a wish and go home. Oh, and I have to do it before the rest of the elves find out I’m in the elf world, or they’ll want me to be killed. Not Derwyn and Arael, because they’re my friends, but the rest of the elves.”
Ouch. That sounds an awful lot for a little girl like you! Do you have a family? Tell me about them.
“There’s me, and Mummy, and Daddy, and my big brother, Robbie. Robbie is four years older than me, and he’s always teasing me and taking my stuff. But he only does it when Mummy and Daddy aren’t there to see him and stop him. He thinks it’s fun, but I don’t like it even a tiny little bit!”
Ah, siblings. My sister is younger, but… brrr! Please give me an interesting and unusual fact about yourself.
“The only interesting thing about me was what happened when I got lost in the woods and found the door to the elf world. But you have to read about that in the story, because it would take much too long for me to tell you again. Other than that I’m just an ordinary little girl.”
Who has elven friends! What 2 or 3 questions do you wish I’d asked and what are your answers to them?
“You already asked lots and lots of questions, and I told you lots about me. Can’t I go play now?”
Sure! Poor thing…
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Polly is the main character of the story “Quest For The Purple Pumpkin” in the “Wyrd Worlds II” anthology. Get your copy at https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/478114 It’s a free SFF anthology available now! Go check it!
Victoria Zigler is a blind author of children’s fiction and poetry. She has a very vivid imagination, and spends a lot of time in fictional worlds; some created by her, others created by other authors. When she remembers to spend some time in the real world, it’s mostly to spend time with her hubby and pets, though sometimes to indulge in other interests such as doing crafts, listening to music, watching movies, playing the odd figure game or roleplaying game, and doing a little cooking and baking. Victoria – or, Tori, if you prefer – was born in the shadow of the Black Mountains in Wales, UK, has been writing since she knew how, and became a self-published author in 2012. To date she has published 5 poetry books and 27 children’s books, with plenty more planned for the near future. She’s also contributed a story to the sci-fi and fantasy anthology Wyrd Worlds II.
You can find the author here:
September 26, 2014
Random Friday
Since B.G. Hope doesn’t have a blog, she’s going to take over today! ;) (yes, I have split personalities! :D Mwhahahaha!)
These are my bestselling titles under this pseudonym, although the third one has come out only a month ago, and hasn’t sold much yet. But if you’d like to have the whole collection, here it is, on Apple, Barnes&Noble, Smashwords, Amazon – and sometime even on Kobo, who has become the slowest to upload.
Yes, there’s even the printed version, see? (well, someone has, thank you, you anonymous buyer!)
Otherwise grab your ebook at the above – even if the Matchbook thingy doesn’t seem to be there… I swear I checked the box and said that whoever got the POD can have the ebook for free!
Two random advices in comic book form – for dreamers and for artists, but both apply to writing! Or any other creative endehavor, really…
Now back to reading Wyrd Worlds 2… Have a great weekend! :D
September 24, 2014
Writer Wednesday
Sneak preview of the next generation on DeviantART. I don’t think I’m doing a big spoiler by showing Shan-leo, since he will be on the cover anyway. Besides, I got the idea when I did a mock cover for Wyrd Words (which was discarded) and decided that was what I wanted to happen to Shan-leo! ;) Except it’s not happening in the novel itself, but in a short story set between the end of the trilogy and the beginning of Next Generation.
I’m currently writing draft Zero and hope to finish the first draft by October 12, so I can send it out to betas. Maybe only half will be completed by Xmas, but who knows… maybe not! ;) The good thing about improvising and having very loose outlines is the freedom. The bad thing is I have no idea of how long the story will be beforehand. I just follow the characters, like watching a movie, and see where they take me. Sometimes I come up with a new idea after I wrote a scene – happened in chapter 2, I completely rewrote a scene before continuing the writing -, sometimes it’s dear betas who point out problems, but I don’t mind.
Now the publishing announcements! The Chronicles of the Varian Empire (3 volumes) are now live on Amazon! Not sure when they’ll get to other channels, but I’m not linking them to the e-books since the content is not exactly the same (the POD version has 2 stories instead of one, to make for thicker books).
Chronicles of the Varian Empire volume 1 (contains The Spell – featured on the cover – and Allan de Sayek)
Chronicles of the Varian Empire volume 2 (contains The Left-handed Warrior – featured on the cover – and Records of the Varian Empire)
Chronicles of the Varian Empire volume 3 (contains The Englightened Emperor – featured on the cover – and The Warrior Woman).
Aaand! In case you didn’t notice the new page at the top, Wyrd Worlds 2 is out! My story, Guisarme, is a prequel to Saif’s Legacy. You will soon read more about the Assassins’ Guild of Godwalkar, since the prequels and sequels of Kilig & Hakeem’s story are written and currently out to betas!
Now looking forward to have some fellow Wyrd Worlders on this blog like last year… In the meantime, see my interview redux on a fellow Wyrd Worlder blog! :) More on the Assassins’ Guild and other stuff!
Writerly links: a really really useful article on character building by David Farland. I applied his rules to the Next Generation characters and it worked beautifully. Especially with my way of writing that doesn’t really care about Character ID, what s/he had for breakfast and other stupid things like that! ;)
Defining your writer self - I’m basically a fiction writer, but I can be a journalist or a screenwriter if I really want to. I just enjoy prose more! ;) Another from Writing World’s newsletter is Developing a pitch message – but I still have to work on that.
An article on editing vs proofreading and finally why Dean Wesley Smith isn’t writing about some stuff (at the moment). I totally agree with point #1, I’m sick to death with the debate, so I won’t mention it here anymore. And he’s right in #2 as well. Why do we fight among each other? Let’s bring some peace to the world, it’s nasty enough out there without writers fighting over which way is The Way to Publishing Success!
Last thing – the cyberbully plagiarist hits again. Help Rachel Ann Nunes here. That’s all for now… Have a great week! :D
September 21, 2014
Surprise Sunday
And waiting for more authors interviews, here’s some words of wisdom or writers on writing gleaned from the internet just for you by yours truly!
***
How can you be an instantly recognizable Big Fish if the pond turns into an ocean?
The answer is, of course, that you can’t.
You need to figure out for yourself what matters to you. And if the opinion of others is all that matters, if having agreed-upon standards is what makes you comfortable, then get out of publishing.
Because the standards are gone, except for one standard and one standard only:
The readers will buy what they like, when they find it, and when they want it. Not one moment before.
How do you find readers? Publish your work. Keep your work in print. Be patient.
And forget about the gatekeepers. You’re beginning to get a sense, if you read the above posts and quotes, of what they really think about you.
Why in the world would you want to impress those people? It looks like they can no longer even impress themselves.
– Kris Rusch
Now listen, I want to be clear: I’m not saying you should try to construct Great BooksTM by some kind of formula, sit around waiting for the perfect idea to strike, or, even worse, rewrite your books to death. You become a great writer by writing lots and lots of stories, not by rewriting the same story over and over again. Writing is the tool by which we convey stories to readers, but it is only the tool. If you’ve got a rusty hammer, it’s harder to build a house, but the focus still isn’t on the hammer. It’s on the house. Thousands of writers fall down the rabbit whole of focusing on line-by-line writing to the detriment of great storytelling. I happen to love great writing, but what I consider great writing is writing that is fully in the service of telling a great story.
– Scott William Carter
If you can quit, quit. Save yourself years of depression, worry, broken dreams, shattered hope, and emotional pain.
Now, if you can’t quit, if you’re driven, if you refuse to accept anything other than your definition of success, then you have no one to blame but yourself for all the hell you’re enduring.
But my money is on you eventually succeeding. Maybe it will take a year. Maybe twenty. Maybe fifty. But if you can’t quit, success isn’t simply attainable–it’s inevitable.
– Joe Konrath
Like David Haywood Young, I don’t have a lot of readers, but the ones I do have are incredibly supportive. I chose to self-publish for a lot of the reasons you can read right here, but also because I didn’t want to wait around for the sometimes years it takes to sell your idea, if ever. Then, if you’re one of the ‘fortunate’ (and I use that term loosely) ones that gets a contract, it can be more years before your book ever sees the light of day. Not to mention that now you have to rewrite your novel in their image if you ever really want to see it published. I also like the idea of owning all the rights.
– Tom Keller
Writing has so much to give, so much to teach, so many surprises. That thing you had to force yourself to do — the actual act of writing — turns out to be the best part. It’s like discovering that while you thought you needed the tea ceremony for the caffeine, what you really needed was the tea ceremony. The act of writing turns out to be its own reward.
– Anne Lamott
September 19, 2014
Random Friday
I’m going to unleash Happy Fangirl Barb! :) First what I got in the mail:
Yes, SiP Kids – and the comic is even signed, whoot! If you don’t know what that is, go check Strangers in Paradise right now! And you might remember I’ve met with The Terry at Torino Comics two years ago…
The rest is Da Muses, both busy with movies out in October… so here’s what I’m looking forward to. Trailers ahead!
But of course, I won’t post the trailer for the other Muse, since there’s the dance item that looks much better – and since it’s the title song… ;)
Have a great weekend!
September 17, 2014
Writer Wednesday
More POD proofs shouls arrive today, so come back on Friday for part 2. Hopefully the CVE new editions will be live by the end of the week. And also Wyrd Worlds 2 – did you forget about that? Official release is on the 21st and whoever managed to read all the stories said it’s awesome. I’m waiting for the final version to read it myself, so looking forward to that. And to have more Wyrd Worlds authors on this blog! :)
While I figure out how to get myself on Patreon, here are a couple of people I should actually support: Neil Clarke and Cat Rambo. Putting them here to remind myself to open that Patreon account and start being a patron before I start my own page. If all of you who follow this blog gave 1$ a month, I’d be the happiest writer-creator in the world. But like Facebook “likes” don’t mean sales, blog followers don’t mean sales either, so I’m not asking you yet. If I did start a Patreon page, what would you like to see on it?
Other suggestions on keeping me happy and writing by David Farland – keeping writers as pets. I can be your pet writer if you want! ;) I only need survival money, I don’t think being rich would make me happy – but quitting the horrid DayJob yes! :D
Why listening to gurus can cripple your chances for success or survivor bias for writers! So, don’t listen to my advice and just experiment – which is what I’m doing. Trying to figure out which is the way to success for me – and again, success is a state of mind, not money. Anyhow, if you want tips for the sales down, here’s Joe Konrath. My sales of the Italian bestseller have stopped since 2 reviews popped up on Amazon – 2stars, in case your wondering. I don’t care. I can’t please everyone, I’ll keep writing what I want to read! ;)
Now back to writing that next generation… have a great week! :)
September 14, 2014
Sunday Surprise
My name is Brenda de Zorig and I’m a journalist for the Konigtown Gazette . I’ve been on the road for years as an actress in an itinerant company, but eventually decided to go back to my hometown to start living of the thing I like the most – writing. So while I write my Masterpiece, I took this job at the Gazette and they send me on various assignments… I thought I might as well starting interviewing random people. Since I intend to write fiction, but truth is always stranger than fiction, I’m eager to hear about people out there – on my world or Beyond.
Hello there. Tell me a little about yourself
Ruby Iyer, 17 ½ years
Describe your appearance in ten words or less.
Angry
Do you have an enemy or nemesis? If so, who are they and how did they become an enemy?
My Ma and Dr. Braganza.
My Ma’s been like my worst enemy forever.
Dr. B, she just parachuted into my life. She wants to destroy everything I love, and of course I am not going to let her.
Would you kill for those you love? And would you die for them?
Yes. Perhaps ….
Where do you live(world/town/whatever)?
Bombay, India
Are you involved in a relationship? If so, with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
It’s complicated
He’s just so different to me, Vikram. You know what I mean? He’s good for me. Yet he’s not the kind of person I would have chosen for myself. Still working this out.
What is the biggest challenge you face in the story?
Saving my best friend and my city from being destroyed by Dr. B.
Do you have a family? Tell me about them.
Unfortunately I do. But I normally pretend they don’t exist.
Please give me an interesting and unusual fact about yourself.
I had laser surgery to fix my short-sightedness when I was twelve.
What 2 or 3 questions do you wish I’d asked and what are your answers to them?
What is the one thing you want to do before you die?
Ans: Find a pair of jeans that really fit.
Okay, let’s see who else we have here… a young man! Tell me a little about yourself
Vikram, 22 years
Describe your appearance in ten words or less.
Tall, dark and… Surly
What is your role in the story?
Ruby would say I am her love interest. I say I am the one who saves her from many a tricky situation.
What is your relationship with the protagonist(s)?
Partners. We are the only thing standing between Dr. Braganza destroying Bombay city.
Where do you live(world/town/whatever)?
Bombay, India. But I studied at Oxford before I moved back to Bombay.
Are you involved in a relationship? If so, with who and what is it about them that you find appealing?
Bombay – I love the city, which is why I chose to come back home to serve her. Ruby too I suppose. Though she confuses me. I love her innocence and her spontaneity. But she can be really confusing sometimes. She thinks too much and ties herself up in knots.
What is the biggest challenge you face in the story?
Saving Ruby from herself. And then saving Bombay from Dr. Braganza.
Please give me an interesting and unusual fact about yourself.
I love smoking cigars. Picked it up in Oxford. And Famous Grouse is my choice of whiskey. It’s the Brit in me.
What 2 or 3 questions do you wish I’d asked and what are your answers to them?
Is there a sequel to The Many Lives of Ruby Iyer?
There is. I really come into my own in The Second Life of Ruby Iyer. Look out for it.
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Book(s) in which the character appears and links
Get your copy of The Many Lives of Ruby and The Ruby Iyer Diaries
About the author:
A near life experience told Laxmi Hariharan to write. She never stopped. Laxmi is the creator of Ruby Iyer, and the Bombay Chronicles series. London is where she writes. Bombay is what fires her imagination.
Follow @laxmi, on Facebook. More at Young Adult Old Soul
September 12, 2014
Random Friday
Sparing you another rant on topics I do not wish to discuss on this public forum, I give you the proofs that arrived yesterday – 2 out of 3 since one was delivered at my parents’ and I’m picking it up on Sunday. Unfortunately my nice 90-year-old+ neighbor wasn’t in when the proof arrived yesterday, so I sent UPS to my parents who live in the next street.
Anyhow, here you have: the very first POD version for Lulu, cover by Barb. The current version on Lulu, cover by Barb. And the upcoming version on CreateSpace, cover by Silvano Beltramo. On these two I forgot to select Matte Cover, so you have the glossy version that won’t be the final. Anyhow, putting them here for comparison anyway.
Click to view slideshow.
I’ve already seen there are some problems in the interior of these two, so I know what to do this weekend… sigh! Hope you have a better one than mine! :D
