R.J. Larson's Blog, page 8

The 31 Author Online Hunt is coming!

Win an iPad Mini, plus 31 Speculative Fiction books and more--just in time for the holidays!
Stay tuned for details, and join the fun. 11.30.13-12.06.13
#31AuthorHunt

Clarifying Characters

This morning, while shuffling through files, I came across this charming yet out-of-focus test image taken at a photo-shoot earlier this summer. Here, Brianna Anderson poses as one of my protagonists, Araine of ToronSea, as she appeared in an earlier manuscript.

What made me pause and give this previously neglected image a second look?
Potential. Glimmers of promise for the Araine-images yet to follow—a mood that reflects my current writing stage. I’m in the rough draft arena again and loving it.

As Araine’s story progresses and all my ideas tumble into the computer in a semi-organized fashion, I’m still seeing many of my newer characters in this fascinating slightly out-of-focus fashion. 

What will these characters become as the plot intensifies, sharpening and clarifying their personalities?

Will my current gathering of fictional personalities, particularly the minor ones, help or hinder Araine and her friends as they embark on new adventures?

I’m eager to find out! Which means…I must clarify my new characters by writing until they come into focus, starting NOW. 

Blessings, everyone, and have a phenomenal day!

R. J.

Writing in Joy--and A Giveaway!!!

When I opened my email and found Natalie Bangheri's delightful artwork depicting Ela and Scythe from PROPHET, I was struck by the joy she'd added--Scythe's just-fed tranquility and that secretive quirk of humor in Ela's quiet little smile and bright eyes. 
Humor--to say nothing of outright joy--was the furthest emotion from my mind when I wrote the initial scenes of PROPHET. After all, my brave young heroine, Ela, had just accepted a death sentence. How could she possibly enjoy life while facing assassins, battles, tyrant kings, and hideous venomous monsters at every turn?
However, mortals in every realm intuitively stave off stress by seeking joy in some form. A hug from a cherished sibling before facing an army, spiritual encouragement from prayers, coltish devotion from an overgrown monster-horse, and even jesting with fellow prisoners when you've been unfairly sentenced and tossed behind bars. With every chapter, the more I wrote of Ela's perils and fears, the more joy surfaced in the manuscript and in my characters' thoughts and emotions. 
Mid-manuscript, I paused, stared at my computer screen, and thought, "Even Shakespeare's tragedies featured clowns. Why shouldn't I add some joy and let readers have fun along the way?" 
What do you think? Do dark scenes demand a touch of joy now and then--the merest hint of hope to encourage our heroes, heroines, and readers on their journey?


Adding to the Joy! Enter to win a copy of Prophet, or Judge, or King in paperback or MP3! Outside U.S.A., win an e-book copy!  Click on the Rafflecopter form below and select an option to enter:



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Writing in Joy

When I opened my email and found Natalie Bangheri's delightful artwork depicting Ela and Scythe from PROPHET, I was struck by the joy she'd added--Scythe's just-fed tranquility, and that secretive quirk of humor in Ela's quiet little smile and bright eyes. 
Humor--to say nothing of outright joy--was the furthest emotion from my mind when I wrote the initial scenes of PROPHET. After all, my brave young heroine, Ela, had just accepted a death sentence. How could she possibly enjoy life while facing assassins, battles, tyrant kings, and hideous venomous monsters at every turn?
However, mortals in every realm intuitively stave off stress by seeking joy in some form. A hug from a cherished sibling before facing an army, spiritual encouragement from prayers, coltish devotion from an overgrown monster-horse, and even jesting with fellow prisoners when you've been unfairly sentenced and tossed behind bars. With every chapter, the more I wrote of Ela's perils and fears, the more joy surfaced in the manuscript and in my characters' thoughts and emotions. 
Mid-manuscript, I paused, stared at my computer screen, and thought, "Even Shakespeare's tragedies featured clowns. Why shouldn't I add some joy and let readers have fun along the way?" 
What do you think? Do dark scenes demand a touch of joy now and then--the merest hint of hope to encourage our heroes, heroines, and readers on their journey?

Worst Part about Picking Titles

As an author, I was fortunate—I believe—to keep the manuscript titles I presented to Bethany House Publishers for my current Books of the Infinite series. All three titles, Prophet, Judge, and King, passed muster and have appeared on the final printed copies. Hurrah! Alas, my current work hasn't been as easy to name. In fact, it’s been tough. I’m still trying to decide if my current title-pick is right. I’m suffering from Title Trauma, and that's as chilling as my fave Exit Glacier pictured above. Why? Like most authors, I’m fretful about naming my books. Much like naming a baby, naming a manuscript is (potentially) a lifetime commitment that summarizes your labor in a few short words. And choosing the perfect title, like choosing the perfect baby name, can be stressful. Titles are the book’s intro—a hook to lure publishers toward your work and, ultimately, a tool to pique reader interest. Authors who create a short, catchy title that’s unique and appropriate to the book’s content can usually rest assured that their work will carry and keep its unique name throughout the publication process. Some titles, however, are changed during the publishing process because they’re considered unmarketable. Too long, too similar to another title, or just plain wrong, as proclaimed at BookRiot. Which leads us to an author’s worst-case title scenario, once potentially faced by F. Scott Fitzgerald. What if the publisher had accepted The Great Gatsby under its original title—Trimalchio in West Egg!? Yep. One wrong word-choice, and I could join the Awful Original Titles list. Revised from a previously post at: A Book Lover's Library

Just for FUNEnter to win a copy of either Prophet, or Jud...

Just for FUN

Enter to win a copy of either Prophet, or Judge, or King!
This contest will end on Friday, July 26th at 12:00am, and it starts...



Now!

Ready...Set... GO!!!

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Through Others' Eyes

As a writer, I often step back mentally to study my characters and to see them afresh, particularly when I'm writing scenes that bring out different and unexpected facets of their personalities. In my humble authorly opinion, these reevaluations deepens each character and brings the whole story to life.

Readers build upon this process by bringing their own imaginations to the stories (thank you!) and their unique views of the series' characters often reveal aspects I haven't recognized. Therefore, I'm always delighted and curious when readers send their own depictions of various characters from my stories. Here are a few fun and amazing works contributed by Rebeka Borshevsky, and Aaron Thorup.
Rebeka Borshevsky: Characters from PROPHET.

From PROPHET: Ela and Kien
Aaron Thorup: Scythe guarding Tzana
Thanks, Rebeka and Aaron!
Readers, do you enjoy "picturing" favorite fictional characters?

Imagining the Books of the Infinite world (Revised from Scavenger Hunt)

When I realized I’d been dragged into writing inspirational fantasy fiction, my first, most complicated task was to imagine an entire fantasy world to frame the Books of the Infinite series. I didn't want to slow down the action with tons of detail, but I did need to create a complete and complex world for my beloved characters. Where did I begin? With a continent. After studying maps of ancient countries, including Israel, Egypt, Rome, and Greece, I sketched out my imaginary continent—shown here in parchment and ink by Katharin Fiscaletti, who created all the drawings in this post.


 With the boundaries in place, I pondered the next step. What sorts of creatures inhabited this new, imaginary world? Legendary beasts, of course. Leviathans. Lindorms. Griffins. And a few creatures unique to this new continent, such as the ferocious, carnivorous Scaln, portrayed here in all its crimson glory. *Shivers.* Let me just say that Katharin frightened me with this particular sketch!




With my landscapes and beasts all sketched, I imagined my characters. People who might have lived during my imaginary world’s Biblical era. What did they eat? What did they drink? What sort of clothes did they wear? Were there variations in language and clothes between each country? I drew upon my knowledge of ancient lands, and my personal library of history books and decided upon the “look” for my characters, as well as their manners and customs. This world, I decided must be primarily Biblical in flavor, with hints of Earth’s own ancient cultures—leading to more research for details I loved and added to my story. To clothe my characters, I sought colorful examples from our own world. Who knew that the exotic saris of modern India were inspired by garments from ancient Greece?













For interest, and because my collection of medieval research books rival any public library’s shelves, the Bethany House team and I agreed to add a bit of medieval flare, which is evident on the cover of King in Akabe’s long tunic sleeves, and his formidable two handed sword, known here on Earth as a claymore. The final result…a unique Biblical-fantasy world that Bethany House Publishers and I hope you enjoy as you read King!

THE CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #15! Welco...

THE CHRISTIAN FICTION SCAVENGER HUNT STOP #15! 

Welcome to the 2013 Summer Scavenger Hunt! This hunt has 32 stops and runs 5/17-5/19/13. You can make the loop, reading unique content from 31 different authors, and if you complete the loop, and fill out the Rafflecopter form at Stop #32, you'll be in the running for an iPad Mini (loaded with all our books), or one of two runner-up prizes---all 31 of our new releases in paperback. In addition, some authors are offering additional prizes, so be sure to read each post thoroughly to be in the running for all that are available. The contest is open internationally.

If you've JUST discovered the hunt, I recommend you begin at the beginning, Stop #1, found at LisaBergren.com. But you can also begin here, and keep on rolling. Just be aware that you have to have the COMPLETED phrase in order, which you construct gathering the clue at each stop, within 24 hours of email notification from Lisa Bergren that you won. If Lisa doesn't hear back from you with the correct phrase within the time limit, she will move on to the next winner Rafflecopter draws. Ready? Here we go...


Tracy L. Higley!

I'm thrilled to host Tracy L. Higley for this scavenger hunt--huzzah!!!  Tracy's latest book, So Shines the Night, is in the same genre I'd be penning if I weren't writing Biblical fantasy fiction. Tracy is a phenomenal writer and an altogether terrific person, so count me in as one of Tracy's fans!

For those of you who haven't heard of Tracy yet, here's her official bio: Tracy L. Higley started her first novel at the age of eight and has been hooked on writing ever since. She has authored nine novels, including Garden of Madness and Isle of Shadows. Tracy is currently pursuing a graduate degree in Ancient History and has traveled through Greece, Turkey, Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Italy, researching her novels and falling into adventures. See her travel journals and more at TracyHigley.com.

Tracy is known for digging into her research--sometimes literally! For So Shines the Night, Tracy traveled to Ephesus, and she's sharing a video clip of her latest adventure; I'm eager to see what Tracy found, and I'm delighted to share it with you today.


Tracy's Adventures in Ephesus In the Footsteps of Paul

When I jumped into the challenge of writing So Shines the Night, a first-century suspense novel that would feature Paul and Timothy, Priscilla and Aquila, and the demonic darkness facing the New Testament church, I already had the whole city of Ephesus imagined in my mind.

That's because I had already walked the city streets, breathed in the Ephesus air, and lingered at the site of the massive Temple of Artemis. And then while writing the novel, I was able to go back and visit a second time!

Ephesus was once a thriving port city, with a harbor that brought exotic silks, jewels and spices from the east and passed them along to the Roman Empire in the west, hungry for luxuries. As the years went by, deposits of silt clogged the harbor, and the entire city was abandoned and lost, left for archaeologists to discover and explore centuries later.

And what a time I had exploring! My husband and I were part of a tour group from our cruise ship, but it quickly became clear that I needed to do my own research and break away from the group. I kept moving backward, branching off, and lingering behind. Our tour guide was not pleased! At one point, she called out above the heads of our group - "We're going this way! You need to keep up!" Embarrassed, I moved to the edge of the group and explained that I was writing a book, and we were planning to abandon them completely and find our own way back to the ship. Clearly, she thought we were crazy!

But I needed time to absorb it all, to take notes and to take videos. The city was the site of one of the most memorable incidents in the book of Acts - the near-riot of the silversmiths who wanted to see Paul dead for hampering their business of pagan souvenir-selling.

For a first-hand look at the theater where it happened, watch this one-minute video:



You can read the story in Acts 19, but I invite you to explore Tracy's Travels on my website, to see the streets, temples, and grand amphitheater where it all took place.

And I hope you'll explore more of So Shines the Night as well - read an excerpt or the back cover. It's a novel that will transport you to this magnificent ancient city, where one woman fights the darkness that threatens to destroy everyone she loves.



Tracy L. Higley's new release, So Shines the Night, is a Biblical novel detailing the events in ACTS, chapter 19, and I'm adding it to my TBR list! It is available at bookstores or online at Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Christian Book Distributors, and elsewhere.




AND NOW, YOUR NEXT STEPS: Write down this clue: Beliefs. 
Have it written down? Great! Now head on over to Tracy L. Higley's page, Stop #16 for the next clue! Thanks for stopping by!


BONUS PRIZE!
Follow R. J. Larson's blog, or "Like" R. J.'s Facebook page for a chance to win the complete Books of the Infinite trilogy!




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The 2013 Summer Christian Fiction Scavenger Hunt is coming!

Ready for some online fun and free books, and a pre-loaded iPad mini?

May 17th-May 19th!
31 Christian Fiction authors are contributing New summer reads for every member of your family!
SuspenseRomanceHistoricalYA FantasyContemporarySci-fiAction!
They're all here...
Our prizes:~~Grand Prize winner will receive an iPad Mini with all 31 e-books pre-loaded!
~~TWO runners-up will receive all 31 books in paperback and...you'll find troves of prizes as you hunt!


Are



YOU 


Ready?!


For the full scoop, click HERE!