Elaina J. Davidson's Blog, page 190
October 5, 2020
F.U.C.K. :)
Apparently this isn't true - the word comes from 'fecund' and others - but it's worth posting for a laugh :)
October 2, 2020
What was the original name of The Infinity Mantle?
The LORE Series as you know it now begins with The Infinity Mantle, but this was not always so. Years ago, when I started writing my first novel, moving away from children’s stories and poetry (none of which will ever be published!), it began with scrap paper and pen or pencil (whatever was to hand) and there was no title. See, I was home-schooling my two younger children and had set up a dedicated classroom. Books adorned one wall, a giant blackboard another, while a window filled the third wall and the fourth sported art projects. After school hours, when I prepared lessons for the following day, there I was, in a space that was fun, all about creativity, and in my spare time I started writing. Seriously, kids stay away from a classroom when they don’t need to be there, and therefore there was this daily period of silence (lol).
Eventually that pile of paper had to be put into digital format. A task, I must tell you, that I thoroughly enjoyed, for it allowed for my first ever edit. I began then to understand the meaning of drafts. The first draft is never the one that lands up published!
Anyway, the first book was written … and it was massive. HUGE DOORSTOPPER. Given that I was learning the ropes, therefore reading everything I found on the subject of fiction writing and publishing, I understood it would never be published as it was. Today I disagree with that belief but then I thought I needed to follow the rules – 80 to 100k for a first book, and the 100 was already pushing it. Book one, then, is the first four Arcana books today, or the omnibus edition as it is now, over 500k words.
I had decided on a title. Gathering of Rain. The series starts out with a gathering of the players and my main character’s name then was Rain, thus, Gathering of Rain, and it remained the title of the first book, after I subsequently created four books from that massive volume. To this day I love the title, but input from others revealed Gathering of Rain sounded like the title for a romance novel. Nevertheless, I put it up on Smashwords and actually received great feedback. However, when I landed a three-year contract for the first four books with an indie publisher, the time had arrived to create more effective Fantasy titles.
Gathering of Rain became The Infinity Mantle and I must admit the fit is perfect. With the rights in my hands again, I self-published under the same title. The reason for choosing The Infinity Mantle is explained in INFINITY EXPLAINED. Perhaps the cover will change, but The Infinity Mantle it will remain [image error]
The Lore Series: Time tells the true tale
Reader and friend, I’ve been meaning to write this for a while and yet, as my family says, I’m to humble to toot my own horn and therefore I remain silent. I’m talking about a story spanning eons and realms, referring to my LORE Series, a 12-volume epic journey. It is a journey, and if you prefer to walk the path less travelled, then welcome! The time has come to summon you near, to whisper in your ear of how much you will discover. Come with me to other worlds …
On my various blogs and pages I have spoken of the characters, artefacts, and magical tools, as well as prophecies and more to intrigue you into starting this absorbing journey, but I held back on other perceptions and maybe denied you entry into places and times beyond imagination. Truth is, I have wished for and still want you to be amazed without my prompting!
Is it not true that we all open our eyes to our greater purpose at some point in our lives? This has been my purpose, to connect with the spirit within, via my LORE. I feel that I offer an awakening experience to my readers. Come with me as we travel from thrones to forest clearings. Journey through the deep places to a city of stone in a forbidden place, as well as hunt for the ultimate clock.
Stating in one sentence what the Lore Series is about, is challenging. What to highlight? Dreams? Reincarnation? Myths? Shadowy spheres of influence? Symbology? Noble purpose? I weave fact and fantasy into a gigantic tapestry, with all these facets and more threaded in, but paramount is Time. I promise that you will ask the right questions having travelled Time with me.
And then there is the Valla family. This is a generational saga and Torrullin Valla strides through all of it. He is a walker through realms forgotten, obscure, and heartbreakingly familiar. He seeks sacred space, which is about sanctuary and truth. Sacred space, time, and family, twist together until they are indivisible.
Therefore, Time tells the true tale encapsulates the whole, for this journey is a mission and will ask of you also your time as you travel through time itself. I challenge you to embark!
Come with me now; our time has come.
(Copied from The LORE Series)
October 1, 2020
September 30, 2020
Writer's Wednesday: Elaina answers two questions!
Hi, everyone. Due to a request to delay the interview slotted for this week, and given that a writer friend asked how I would answer the two pandemic questions asked in my interviews, I thought I'd fill this Writer's Wednesday with my answers.
My avatar, used across all platforms.
A fun pic of me:
Without further ado:
Now that the world has changed due to a pandemic, how has my writing changed?
It hasn’t changed to the degree that I can say, oh, look, this is pre-pandemic and that is post-pandemic (please let there be a ‘post’ soon!), and yet something else has me in a tizz. Given all the social distancing and what-not, I find it difficult to write scenes where there are crowds – I want to put masks on them! I want to avoid crowd scenes completely! The gatherings and interactions we use in our fiction are no longer ‘real world’ and that is a conundrum for me.
Even watching movies and series where people carry on as was our normal until early 2020 makes me grimace. It’s not real now. Then again, I write fiction and describing events and people as was ‘normal’ before therefore fits in with the fiction aspect … I guess, when our immediate future takes on more certainty, 'real' will feel real again when I write.
Many writers in the present either write far more or find themselves unable to write. Have I experienced one or the other in this life-altering time we now live in?
When lockdown befell us at the end of March, my outlook was positive. Time to write, I thought, without the distractions of my part-time job. Suddenly the world fell into silence and birdsong assumed supremacy – inspiring, optimum conditions to write in. It didn’t work out quite as I envisioned. Simply put, writing became something extremely difficult to focus on, and I landed up in a quite a funk. Did everything else instead: gardening, fixing stuff around the house, threw junk out ... anything to not write.
I thought perhaps I could give attention to the marketing side of thing. Ha. No go.
In fact, it’s only when the severe restrictions were lifted that I again found my voice and my energy. How weird we are, right? Time and silence, far less distractions, and the fount of inspiration dries up! Perhaps I am one of those writers who needs a bit of chaos!!
And that's it :) If we find ourselves without an interview to post in the coming weeks, I'll tell you about my most embarrassing moment, and the most inspirational.
Ophiuchus
A rumour went around a while ago that NASA has added a new star sign, which NASA denied, saying the constellation has ever been there and, besides, they do not delve into astrology. Whatever the truth is, seems Ophiuchus would be my sign if the above list became mainstream :)September 29, 2020
As indecisive as Thomas!
Our dear friend, Thomas Henson, has had another face lift. By now you know I have changed the covers before, as doubting as Thomas, as indecisive, lol, so here's to hoping these stay! Doesn't matter, really, nothing serious here, all fun, and therefore it's okay to play with how Thomas is showcased :)
This happened because Thomas will soon be available in audio! Our Friend Thomas Henson is now in review, while Town Thomas is in production. Needed audio covers and decided on something our Thomas simply despises - a garden theme (haha, of, how he hates the perfect hedge!) - and changed the eBooks too ...
Our Friend Thomas HensonTown Thomas
