Lily Neon Vagabond's Blog, page 21
July 24, 2011
Ta Da! Contest!
Introducing the Name that Genre Contest!
Warning: Due to violence and sex, this is not recommended for anyone under age 18. Trust me, heat rating of 1000. I'm not exaggerating. You've been warned.
Rules:
Read a small scene I wrote that doesn't have a plot or a genre. Then once you've read it, submit your genre ideas for a chance to win a prize.
Read the story HERE
Submit your genre ideas HERE
Three prizes up for grabs: Eden Fell Paperback, Ebook of Short Stories, Ebook of Poetry
Only one winner per prize. The sooner you enter, the greater chance of winning.
Deadline: August 25th, 2011
Best of luck to everyone!
Warning: Due to violence and sex, this is not recommended for anyone under age 18. Trust me, heat rating of 1000. I'm not exaggerating. You've been warned.
Rules:
Read a small scene I wrote that doesn't have a plot or a genre. Then once you've read it, submit your genre ideas for a chance to win a prize.
Read the story HERE
Submit your genre ideas HERE
Three prizes up for grabs: Eden Fell Paperback, Ebook of Short Stories, Ebook of Poetry
Only one winner per prize. The sooner you enter, the greater chance of winning.
Deadline: August 25th, 2011
Best of luck to everyone!
July 2, 2011
It's seriously been since April??? Oh, and a contest
Wow, I'm so sorry. I've been struggling, in between computers, and biding my time while I wait for a better set up. I'm slowly but surely getting things back into shape now.
So it appears during my time away, there's been a blogger update. I no longer need to use Captcha for posting comments. Yay! I really didn't like having to do that, but there wasn't any other way before. This blog is now Captcha free :)
Second most important thing, I've started a new psychological thriller with a southern gothic flair that I absolutely love. It has plot twists that will blow your mind. Sex, violence, intrigue, suspense, yum, can't get much better than this :D I just finished chapter 10, and hope to be finished the draft of a manuscript by the end of the month. I'm loving this story so much, it's straightforward, simple, and highly entertaining.
Last, but certainly not least, I will be starting a contest in the next couple of weeks. I don't have set dates yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post all information here. For the meantime, here's a little info about the contest so everyone can be prepared to get involved. You don't want to miss this one!
Name that Genre Contest!
I wrote a little drabble awhile ago that I don't know what to do with. It's a scene, nothing more. There's no plot. Why doesn't it have a plot? Because I can't seem to figure out the genre to save my life! It's too short and plotless to even be a short story. I have no idea what to do with it...
There's horror, fantasy, mythology, and, um, A LOT of erotica. Maybe some other elements, I'm not sure. Seriously, if there was a heat rating, it would be 1000.
So I'm using this drabble for a contest :D
WARNING: Due to the graphic nature of the drabble, this contest is not for the faint of heart or anyone underage. Sorry, just the way it is. For mature minded people only :)
Deadline for the contest will either be the middle of September or beginning of October (I'm hoping for the former).
Info on prizes and rules will be posted as soon as possible. The drabble will be posted on my website, link pending. In other words, as soon as I get to it ;)
So it appears during my time away, there's been a blogger update. I no longer need to use Captcha for posting comments. Yay! I really didn't like having to do that, but there wasn't any other way before. This blog is now Captcha free :)
Second most important thing, I've started a new psychological thriller with a southern gothic flair that I absolutely love. It has plot twists that will blow your mind. Sex, violence, intrigue, suspense, yum, can't get much better than this :D I just finished chapter 10, and hope to be finished the draft of a manuscript by the end of the month. I'm loving this story so much, it's straightforward, simple, and highly entertaining.
Last, but certainly not least, I will be starting a contest in the next couple of weeks. I don't have set dates yet, but as soon as I do, I'll post all information here. For the meantime, here's a little info about the contest so everyone can be prepared to get involved. You don't want to miss this one!
Name that Genre Contest!
I wrote a little drabble awhile ago that I don't know what to do with. It's a scene, nothing more. There's no plot. Why doesn't it have a plot? Because I can't seem to figure out the genre to save my life! It's too short and plotless to even be a short story. I have no idea what to do with it...
There's horror, fantasy, mythology, and, um, A LOT of erotica. Maybe some other elements, I'm not sure. Seriously, if there was a heat rating, it would be 1000.
So I'm using this drabble for a contest :D
WARNING: Due to the graphic nature of the drabble, this contest is not for the faint of heart or anyone underage. Sorry, just the way it is. For mature minded people only :)
Deadline for the contest will either be the middle of September or beginning of October (I'm hoping for the former).
Info on prizes and rules will be posted as soon as possible. The drabble will be posted on my website, link pending. In other words, as soon as I get to it ;)
April 12, 2011
George Straatman – A Quarter Century Novelist
George Straatman, author of The Converging Trilogy, spent twenty-five years creating a vast world of horror and the supernatural. On a personal note, a quarter of a century boggles my mind. I bitch and moan if it takes me long than three months to finish at least a draft of a complete story. Twenty-five years, now that's dedication.
The best news is the trilogy is complete. The final novel, The Converging: Closures in Blood, is now available.
Summary:
The Converging: Closures in Blood is the concluding volume of George Straatman's epic Converging horror trilogy. Though rooted firmly in the horror/supernatural thriller genre, Closures in Blood is a skilful weaving of intense action and compelling drama that will stand as a fitting finale to this dark and richly imagined tale.
Closures in Blood is a frenetic roller coaster ride into darkest depths of the Converging universe…a place where the vile and the righteous will find a grim measure or resolution in the explosive conclusion to this master work of dark horror.
So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!
Website: www.georgestraatman.com
Good Reads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3046802.George_Straatman
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000476785560
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Geoconverge
Purchase:
Sony Ebook - http://ebookstore.sony.com/search?keyword=george straatman
Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=digital-text&field-keywords=george straatman&x=15&y=19
Kobo Books - http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ebooks/search/?keywords=george straatman&pageSize=12
It can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Apple and Smashwords.
Q & A FOR CLOSURE IN BLOOD
1. What are the primary themes of this final segment? As the title would imply, the novel's plot revolves around putting a measure of closure to the story elements that have bridged the trilogy. By the conclusion of this novel, all of the primary characters who have populated the world of the Converging will have found a sense of resolution by the novel's closing page. In addition to this, the story deals with the protagonist's search for personal redemption and atonement for her culpability in Cynara Saravic's twisted tapestry of evil.
2. Is there one common theme that ties the three segments of the trilogy together?
This is first and foremost, a horror trilogy and its roots are fixed deep in the dark soil of the supernatural thriller genre, but really, the story transcends the genre to become more of an intense drama about one woman's thirty-five years search for a degree of normalcy after the foundations of her life have been eradicated by cataclysm events. Elizabeth's painful and often tragic journey is really a metaphor for perseverance and a sustained belief in the compelling power of hope. The horror elements merely serve as a vehicle through which this story is told.
3. How long did it take to complete the full Converging cycle?
The full cycle took twenty-five years to write from the first moment I took up a pen and began the first page of the original novel until the moment I decided that I was happy with the end product of Closures in Blood. The characters of the story become constant companions of sorts…who I've come to care about and develop an emotional attachment to.
4. The first two novels were characterized by intense and dark horror…that could often be considered disturbing…does this atmosphere prevail in the final installment?
Most definitely…I've attempted to infuse the novel with a pervasive sense of desperation in which Elizabeth's search for David Stillman is undertaken against a frenetic background of terror and incessant pursuit. The central concept of the Converging has always been about a wide array of forces coming together at one juncture in time with catastrophic results and Closures in Blood is fraught with this element. I wanted the story to unfold like an avalanche…or more correctly, a convergence of avalanches…all coming together with a brutally violent finality. Every character in this novel is much like a piece of an intricate jigsaw puzzle…the commonality of each of these pieces is Elizabeth Simpson, who serves as the lens through which they are all focused…with extremely explosive results. This novel certainly serves up the most diverse collection of characters of the series…and this diversity adds to the volatility of the plot.
5. Was there a single facet of this story that would stand out as the most difficult to write?
The segment of the story that dealt with the teenage runaway, Cassandra Jasic was perhaps one of the most difficult that I've ever written…the scene in which she reveals the story of the abuse she suffered as a child was difficult to write…and equally difficult to read. Ultimately, horror is an emotional response and Cassandra Jasic's hellish ordeal goes a long way toward justifying the depth of psychosis she demonstrates in the story. The tone of segments such as this one is critical…an author has to be attuned to the need for presenting this type of material in a way that does not make it gratuitous or even worse…appears to condone the actions being depicted.
6. With the conclusion of this series, is there any one character with whom you feel most connected?
Though I've enjoyed all of my characters immensely and feel a strong affinity for each, I would say that Elizabeth Simpson is the individual for whom I have the most empathy…I often reflect on the things that she endured over the course of the three novels and I'm suffused by a profound sense of sadness. Cynara Saravic presented me with the most perplexing technical challenges as a character, but Elizabeth Simpson is the one who resonates emotionally through the trilogy…her closure is, for me, the most emotionally poignant.
Are the any specific moral concepts contained within this final novel?
It would be difficult to write a two thousand page story without inculcating some personal philosophy into the fabric of the story…The story is violent and bloody, but beneath this, there resonates a subtle judgment on the nature of this violence. The story also holds an implied statement on the nature of seduction and the way that an individual's personal prejudices can ensnare them into accepting things that both dangerous and illogical. This subtext is most clearly demonstrated by the characters of Gregor Ingram and Contayza Prowzi, whose inherent prejudices allow them to be deceived into seeing Elizabeth Simpson as the ultimate manifestation of evil.Elizabeth Simpson takes center stage in this novel and it is through her that I have implicitly conveyed my own personal view on violence and moral integrity…Through all of her travails and loss, Elizabeth retains an inviolable sense of dignity and grace and vehemently refuses to succumb to the more primal urges that drive many of the novel's other characters…she comes closest to representing my own perspective on the treatment of violence in art.
With the conclusion of the trilogy…have we seen the last of Elizabeth and Cynara?
As mentioned earlier…this cycle had a twenty-five year creative life. In that time, I have transitioned from a horror novelist to a fantasy novelist…a genre with the broadest creative potential. Still, it would be impossible to invest so much creative and emotional energy into characters such as Cynara and Elizabeth and not have a strong bond with both. The Converging as a concept has definitely run its course, but I have tinkered with the idea of writing a novel that tells the story of the demon Cynara Saravic and her life through the years between her disappearance in 1850 to her appearance in the fictitious town where the first novel takes place in the 1970s. As for the trilogy's primary protagonist, Elizabeth Simpson, I have developed a plot outline for a novel that would take place some years after the events chronicled in the epilogue of Closures in Blood. Both of these notions are in the formative stages and whether they will germinate into full novels, only time will tell. My primary focus over the next few years will be on development of my fantasy cycle – Journey through the Land of Shades.
The best news is the trilogy is complete. The final novel, The Converging: Closures in Blood, is now available.
Summary:
The Converging: Closures in Blood is the concluding volume of George Straatman's epic Converging horror trilogy. Though rooted firmly in the horror/supernatural thriller genre, Closures in Blood is a skilful weaving of intense action and compelling drama that will stand as a fitting finale to this dark and richly imagined tale.
Closures in Blood is a frenetic roller coaster ride into darkest depths of the Converging universe…a place where the vile and the righteous will find a grim measure or resolution in the explosive conclusion to this master work of dark horror.
So what are you waiting for? Go check it out!
Website: www.georgestraatman.com
Good Reads Profile: http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/3046802.George_Straatman
Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=100000476785560
Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/Geoconverge
Purchase:
Sony Ebook - http://ebookstore.sony.com/search?keyword=george straatman
Amazon Kindle - http://www.amazon.com/s/ref=nb_sb_noss?url=search-alias=digital-text&field-keywords=george straatman&x=15&y=19
Kobo Books - http://www.chapters.indigo.ca/ebooks/search/?keywords=george straatman&pageSize=12
It can also be purchased at Barnes & Noble, Apple and Smashwords.
Q & A FOR CLOSURE IN BLOOD
1. What are the primary themes of this final segment? As the title would imply, the novel's plot revolves around putting a measure of closure to the story elements that have bridged the trilogy. By the conclusion of this novel, all of the primary characters who have populated the world of the Converging will have found a sense of resolution by the novel's closing page. In addition to this, the story deals with the protagonist's search for personal redemption and atonement for her culpability in Cynara Saravic's twisted tapestry of evil.
2. Is there one common theme that ties the three segments of the trilogy together?
This is first and foremost, a horror trilogy and its roots are fixed deep in the dark soil of the supernatural thriller genre, but really, the story transcends the genre to become more of an intense drama about one woman's thirty-five years search for a degree of normalcy after the foundations of her life have been eradicated by cataclysm events. Elizabeth's painful and often tragic journey is really a metaphor for perseverance and a sustained belief in the compelling power of hope. The horror elements merely serve as a vehicle through which this story is told.
3. How long did it take to complete the full Converging cycle?
The full cycle took twenty-five years to write from the first moment I took up a pen and began the first page of the original novel until the moment I decided that I was happy with the end product of Closures in Blood. The characters of the story become constant companions of sorts…who I've come to care about and develop an emotional attachment to.
4. The first two novels were characterized by intense and dark horror…that could often be considered disturbing…does this atmosphere prevail in the final installment?
Most definitely…I've attempted to infuse the novel with a pervasive sense of desperation in which Elizabeth's search for David Stillman is undertaken against a frenetic background of terror and incessant pursuit. The central concept of the Converging has always been about a wide array of forces coming together at one juncture in time with catastrophic results and Closures in Blood is fraught with this element. I wanted the story to unfold like an avalanche…or more correctly, a convergence of avalanches…all coming together with a brutally violent finality. Every character in this novel is much like a piece of an intricate jigsaw puzzle…the commonality of each of these pieces is Elizabeth Simpson, who serves as the lens through which they are all focused…with extremely explosive results. This novel certainly serves up the most diverse collection of characters of the series…and this diversity adds to the volatility of the plot.
5. Was there a single facet of this story that would stand out as the most difficult to write?
The segment of the story that dealt with the teenage runaway, Cassandra Jasic was perhaps one of the most difficult that I've ever written…the scene in which she reveals the story of the abuse she suffered as a child was difficult to write…and equally difficult to read. Ultimately, horror is an emotional response and Cassandra Jasic's hellish ordeal goes a long way toward justifying the depth of psychosis she demonstrates in the story. The tone of segments such as this one is critical…an author has to be attuned to the need for presenting this type of material in a way that does not make it gratuitous or even worse…appears to condone the actions being depicted.
6. With the conclusion of this series, is there any one character with whom you feel most connected?
Though I've enjoyed all of my characters immensely and feel a strong affinity for each, I would say that Elizabeth Simpson is the individual for whom I have the most empathy…I often reflect on the things that she endured over the course of the three novels and I'm suffused by a profound sense of sadness. Cynara Saravic presented me with the most perplexing technical challenges as a character, but Elizabeth Simpson is the one who resonates emotionally through the trilogy…her closure is, for me, the most emotionally poignant.
Are the any specific moral concepts contained within this final novel?
It would be difficult to write a two thousand page story without inculcating some personal philosophy into the fabric of the story…The story is violent and bloody, but beneath this, there resonates a subtle judgment on the nature of this violence. The story also holds an implied statement on the nature of seduction and the way that an individual's personal prejudices can ensnare them into accepting things that both dangerous and illogical. This subtext is most clearly demonstrated by the characters of Gregor Ingram and Contayza Prowzi, whose inherent prejudices allow them to be deceived into seeing Elizabeth Simpson as the ultimate manifestation of evil.Elizabeth Simpson takes center stage in this novel and it is through her that I have implicitly conveyed my own personal view on violence and moral integrity…Through all of her travails and loss, Elizabeth retains an inviolable sense of dignity and grace and vehemently refuses to succumb to the more primal urges that drive many of the novel's other characters…she comes closest to representing my own perspective on the treatment of violence in art.
With the conclusion of the trilogy…have we seen the last of Elizabeth and Cynara?
As mentioned earlier…this cycle had a twenty-five year creative life. In that time, I have transitioned from a horror novelist to a fantasy novelist…a genre with the broadest creative potential. Still, it would be impossible to invest so much creative and emotional energy into characters such as Cynara and Elizabeth and not have a strong bond with both. The Converging as a concept has definitely run its course, but I have tinkered with the idea of writing a novel that tells the story of the demon Cynara Saravic and her life through the years between her disappearance in 1850 to her appearance in the fictitious town where the first novel takes place in the 1970s. As for the trilogy's primary protagonist, Elizabeth Simpson, I have developed a plot outline for a novel that would take place some years after the events chronicled in the epilogue of Closures in Blood. Both of these notions are in the formative stages and whether they will germinate into full novels, only time will tell. My primary focus over the next few years will be on development of my fantasy cycle – Journey through the Land of Shades.
April 10, 2011
Author Features
I'm tempted to play on words here. Author creature feature! Heh.
I've been featured on a fellow author's blog, George Straatman, who has some lovely things to say about me and Eden Fell. Check it out: http://georgestraatman.blogspot.com/2011/04/guest-author-lily-eden-fell.html
Thanks, George!
I will also be doing a feature on George Straatman and his horror trilogy, which will be posted either later today or tomorrow at the latest. So look for an interesting post soon about this horror author!
I've been featured on a fellow author's blog, George Straatman, who has some lovely things to say about me and Eden Fell. Check it out: http://georgestraatman.blogspot.com/2011/04/guest-author-lily-eden-fell.html
Thanks, George!
I will also be doing a feature on George Straatman and his horror trilogy, which will be posted either later today or tomorrow at the latest. So look for an interesting post soon about this horror author!
March 9, 2011
Sum It Up
A common mistake of any author, no matter what stage they're at, is not answering a simple question.
What is it about?
Oh, well, this happens, then that happens, and then! This other thing happens...
Er, yeah. That wasn't the question.
Learning to sum up a story idea in three sentences or less, or even better in one sentence only, is an invaluable skill for any author. It'll come in handy at all stages. Aspiring writer, published novelist, etc. Sure, we all have plenty of ideas, and we all want to share our ideas. But take it easy. One thing at a time.
What is it about?
It's about Vlad the Impaler and how he finds his reincarnated love.
Or
It's a Victorian horror novel about a vampire.
Or
It's a novel that uses the mythology of vampires as a guise for Victorian repressed sexuality.
Oh, what's the book called?
Dracula by Bram Stoker.
The sad and brutal truth is, you won't interest anyone in your story ideas, or even a finished novel, if you can't sum it up. I know it's hard. It's very hard. I spend so much time, thought and effort in crafting every single word that I just want to shout at the world, here! Here's all my ideas! But the fact remains, it doesn't matter. No one has read it yet, no one is going to care. Not unless I sum it up.
What is it about?
It's a psychological thriller exploring the difference between a criminal and a modern everyman.
What's it called?
Strays by Lily. Rewrite is more than halfway finished ;)
What is it about?
Oh, well, this happens, then that happens, and then! This other thing happens...
Er, yeah. That wasn't the question.
Learning to sum up a story idea in three sentences or less, or even better in one sentence only, is an invaluable skill for any author. It'll come in handy at all stages. Aspiring writer, published novelist, etc. Sure, we all have plenty of ideas, and we all want to share our ideas. But take it easy. One thing at a time.
What is it about?
It's about Vlad the Impaler and how he finds his reincarnated love.
Or
It's a Victorian horror novel about a vampire.
Or
It's a novel that uses the mythology of vampires as a guise for Victorian repressed sexuality.
Oh, what's the book called?
Dracula by Bram Stoker.
The sad and brutal truth is, you won't interest anyone in your story ideas, or even a finished novel, if you can't sum it up. I know it's hard. It's very hard. I spend so much time, thought and effort in crafting every single word that I just want to shout at the world, here! Here's all my ideas! But the fact remains, it doesn't matter. No one has read it yet, no one is going to care. Not unless I sum it up.
What is it about?
It's a psychological thriller exploring the difference between a criminal and a modern everyman.
What's it called?
Strays by Lily. Rewrite is more than halfway finished ;)
March 5, 2011
Defining Plausible, Possible, and BS
I wrote this little article ages ago, and forgot about it. So here you go, the definitions of Possible, Plausible and complete BS in fiction.
I could argue the definitions endlessly, but it will never make a difference. The fact is, it depends on whether people understand the difference between Plausible and just making up BS. Hence, endless argument. So rather than arguing until I'm blue in the face (or until my typing fingers fall off), I'll just show the definitions.
Example:
The aliens from a distant planet had green skin with blue polka dots. They hated humans. They landed on planet Earth.
Now, is this plausible? Not by a long shot. It raises too many questions that's not even related to wanting to read a whole story. It's just annoying. Why do they hate humans? How do the aliens even exist? Why did they come to Earth? And why do they have green skin with blue polka dots? Of all things! You see? Just plain annoying and not much incentive to want to know more. If I read this as an introductory paragraph, I would have dropped the book like a hot potato.
Is it possible? Yes. Any idea is possible. There could be aliens who hate humans. But no reason is given. Readers are literate, and they're not that stupid. It's the author's responsibility to give a reason, some sort of logic. Even if it's highly fictional, it doesn't matter, as long as it makes sense in a fictional context. In the example above, I completely failed in my responsibility as an author. :(
Rewrite of example:
The aliens came from a planet so far away that it wasn't named by humans. In fact, the humans on a planet they foolishly called Earth, couldn't properly see these aliens with their flawed human eyes. They knew the grass was green and the sky was blue. So all people saw when the aliens landed, tentacles wrapped around ray guns, was green skin with blue polka dots.
Is this plausible? Absolutely. I also completely made all this up, just off the top of my head. All ideas start off as complete bullshit. It doesn't matter if people believe aliens exist or not, that's not the point. The point is for the author to give the reader a reason to believe these aliens exist. That's the only thing that matters. That's fiction.
This also raises the good kind of questions that gives people an incentive to read the story. What are the aliens doing there? Why did they arrive to planet Earth? Omg what's going to happen to the humans??? There's only one way to find out, read the story.
Exploring the plausible can be a lot of fun and seem easy. And writing fiction, making the plausible believable, is the Crafting of fiction. It's still fun, but a crapload of hard work ;)
P.S. I'm not a Sci-fi author, I really did just make that up, it's not my best work, and I have no intentions of ever turning that into a story. Just making examples :)
I could argue the definitions endlessly, but it will never make a difference. The fact is, it depends on whether people understand the difference between Plausible and just making up BS. Hence, endless argument. So rather than arguing until I'm blue in the face (or until my typing fingers fall off), I'll just show the definitions.
Example:
The aliens from a distant planet had green skin with blue polka dots. They hated humans. They landed on planet Earth.
Now, is this plausible? Not by a long shot. It raises too many questions that's not even related to wanting to read a whole story. It's just annoying. Why do they hate humans? How do the aliens even exist? Why did they come to Earth? And why do they have green skin with blue polka dots? Of all things! You see? Just plain annoying and not much incentive to want to know more. If I read this as an introductory paragraph, I would have dropped the book like a hot potato.
Is it possible? Yes. Any idea is possible. There could be aliens who hate humans. But no reason is given. Readers are literate, and they're not that stupid. It's the author's responsibility to give a reason, some sort of logic. Even if it's highly fictional, it doesn't matter, as long as it makes sense in a fictional context. In the example above, I completely failed in my responsibility as an author. :(
Rewrite of example:
The aliens came from a planet so far away that it wasn't named by humans. In fact, the humans on a planet they foolishly called Earth, couldn't properly see these aliens with their flawed human eyes. They knew the grass was green and the sky was blue. So all people saw when the aliens landed, tentacles wrapped around ray guns, was green skin with blue polka dots.
Is this plausible? Absolutely. I also completely made all this up, just off the top of my head. All ideas start off as complete bullshit. It doesn't matter if people believe aliens exist or not, that's not the point. The point is for the author to give the reader a reason to believe these aliens exist. That's the only thing that matters. That's fiction.
This also raises the good kind of questions that gives people an incentive to read the story. What are the aliens doing there? Why did they arrive to planet Earth? Omg what's going to happen to the humans??? There's only one way to find out, read the story.
Exploring the plausible can be a lot of fun and seem easy. And writing fiction, making the plausible believable, is the Crafting of fiction. It's still fun, but a crapload of hard work ;)
P.S. I'm not a Sci-fi author, I really did just make that up, it's not my best work, and I have no intentions of ever turning that into a story. Just making examples :)
