S.B. Sebrick's Blog, page 9

Writer: Pros and Cons

Hey everyone,

My psychology class got canceled this morning, so I have a quick chance to write. Till March 22nd, I’m neck-deep in Nursing Pre-Requisite classes, so writing’s been a tough hobby to keep up with. On the plus side, I finally got the first draft of ‘Deliverance’ done last weekend and shipped it to my Mentor and Editor. With any luck, I’ll have it out by the time school gets out at the end of March.

The following thought popped into my mind after a night mare last night. It was the variety involving half-eaten corpses crawling across the carpet towards my bed, but the resulting idea made me laugh, so I guess the experience wasn’t a total loss, lol.

Being a writer:

Pro: All nightmares can be systematically compiled into a list of viable assets in the forms of monsters, villains and situations to torment my characters and interest readers.

 Con: Who in their right mind wakes up from a wet-your-pants nightmare in the middle of the night, records it in as much detail as possible and what’s more, revisits it periodically in the course of their job? We writers can be a masochistic lot in that sense.

Welcome to 2013

I hope you all got the chance to do the countdown and welcome in a new year, may your resolutions for 2013 lift you higher than 2012′s ever could. Then again, if your resolutions are the same as the ones of yester year, good luck in taking another shot at achieving them. One of my goals for this year is to finish Kaltor’s series, not an easy feat when you don’t know all the gory details of the story yet.

Well Sebrick, maybe if you’d be more persistent with putting them to paper, I’d give you a bit more warning about what’s coming next. I like keeping you guessing until the last chapter.

More persistent? You do realize some writers only manage a single book per year. It would take them almost a decade for them to write what I’m doing in two years. How about you put ‘be more grateful’ as a new year’s resolution?

I’ve got enough of my own issues to work out, thank you very much. Most of them are your fault.

How is it my fault you can’t ride a horse well?

You’re the writer. Can’t you just skim over the less-dignifying predicaments I get into? Paint a more heroic picture?

This is not a memoir or a biography, its epic fantasy. The ‘best’ moments of the series only shine when painted against the ‘worst’ ones. That’s just good fiction. I don’t know of any authors who only write about sunshine and lollipops, not ones that sell anyway.

Shall I compare you to current authors who sell more? There’s quite a list here…

Taunting me won’t get me to write any faster, Kaltor. Besides, that list is purely for research purposes. There’s always more to learn for more experienced writers.

The first lesson being ‘persistence?’

You know, I haven’t finished the end of your fifth book yet. You sure you want to bring this up on the weekend I’m finishing it? Perhaps a lucky hit from a sight seeker should give you a five-year old’s mind, just for a while…

Then you’d have a varadour enhanced, battleborn trained tantrum on your hands, demanding the next book be finished immediately. You really think after a few self-defense courses you could keep me under control and still have time to write?

You know, maybe if these conversations were a bit more harmonious I wouldn’t get writer’s block so often.

I already offered you the cure for that. You refused my help.

A knife point tickling my shoulder blades does not qualify as a cure. Besides, stabbing is an empty threat. Who’s going to write your story if I kick the bucket?

I’m a Battleborn, I’d improvise.

You can barely work the keyboard, much less write a novel. How about you stick to your gifts and I’ll stick to mine?

Fair enough, just get a move on with those goals of yours. I’m not the only one waiting for my next book to hit the shelves.

Yes, master (sarcastic eye roll).

I saw that. Don’t mock me.

Alright, alright. I’m getting to work now, see? I’m typing away on my keyboard. Click, click, click…

 

Holiday Rush

Got to love that moment when you have your holiday shopping planned just right… You already of the gifts picked out and all that remains is wait the last necessary two weeks for the final paycheck, then you get the text message: “Since the whole family will be in town next week instead of the 25th, we’re moving Christmas to the 11th. See you there!”

Just like that, you’re careful plan of procrastination comes tumbling down! Hmmm, guess that leaves improvisation. What’s the phrase? Desperation leads to flexibility.

Sounds appropriate for most situations, Sebrick, particularly if you are literally tied up. Some of the best escape artists I’ve met were incredibly flexible.

Hey Kaltor, that’s not particularly helpful at the moment. Any ideas for a family of four? They have a two-year old girl and an infant.

You could always buy one of those harnessed that hooks up to a cable outside. It would give the girl room to run around.

Those are for dogs, Kaltor. Do you have any idea how my sister would respond if I bought her daughter a dog harness and a cable?

Joy filled cries of gratitude and/or laughter?

Nice try. I might as well by my niece a doggie bowl and paint her name on the front.

It’s a compliment. Now if you bought her stuff for a cat, that would be offensive.

That makes no sense. I’m comparing her to a household pet either way.

Well, I’ve seen people treat their pets even better than they do their children.

That’s just sad, Kaltor. Not to mention irrelevant. My sister doesn’t have a pet. The poor creature would never survive my niece.

All the more reason to get the kid a harness, she sounds dangerous!

Not dangerous, just overly curious. How is a dog harness better than cat stuff?

Isn’t it obvious? Dogs are used to functioning as part of a pack, or in this case, family. Cats are just selfish creatures out for themselves, the worst possible personality type to add into any military unit.

That is so wrong on so many levels. I can’t wait until you have a child of your own. You try to put him or her in a harness and your wife will kick you from here to Seattle.

Hey, I for one, am no longer single Can you say the same?

I had I feeling I’d regret hooking you two up, she seems to make you even tougher to put up with.

Well, too late now. Those books are already published!

Yeah, but there’s always the next book…

*Gulp!

 

Thanksgiving Preparations

Well, here I am throwing out the trash, sweeping the floors and hiding my favorite cereal in my room … yep, relatives must be coming over!

I’d like to take a moment for us to consider how blessed we truly are. Here in the US of A we get so focused on our ‘to-do’ lists, our careers and the day-to-day toil, we forget to be happy with what he have.

I don’t take as much time to think about that as I should, especially since I spent two years living abroad. While living in Argentina, I did not once see a house without bars on the windows and iron gates over the doors, thanks to the high crime rate in the cities I lived in. Wild dogs ran in packs through the streets, like rats, carrying all kinds of diseases. Houses were made of concrete and the desert environment meant the floors followed suit, little was ever truly clean. I saw carpet only once in two years. Then there was the lack of american bacon (very different from basic pig meat) and maple syrup.

I met some families though, living in these kind of conditions, who were the happiest I’d ever seen. They had a roof over head to shelter their loved ones, hot and cold running water and a steady job. That was all they really needed, mixed with the company of those they love. Don’t forget, while you’re swiming through the deluge of school, careers, and jobs, to take the time to serve with those you love. That’s where the moments you’ll treasure most will be. I haven’t met many elderly people whose regrets were ‘I wish I’d put more time into my job’. But I’ve met many a parent who’s said, ‘I wish I had worked less and spent more time with my kids.”

Make the most of this Thanksgiving season! Make a list of things you are grateful for. While Christmas is on the rise, find someone who doesn’t have something on that list, and make their day. That’s a memory you can cherish for a very long time

Weekend Spotlight

This weekend ‘Assassin’s Rising’ went up on the book blog ‘For What It’s Worth’ in their weekly Saturday Spotlight. In it I share a view aspects of writing that for me have proven most impactful, along with the lessons of life I hope my readers can take from following Kaltor’s story. Check it out here for the full details: http://www.fwiwreviews.net/2012/11/saturday-spotlight-giveaway-sb.html

Desolate is Now Availiable as an E-Book

A fresh chance arises to silence the Destroyer, permanently. Gereth crafts a device, sensitive to dark magic, to lead them straight to her. Kaltor and his friends set out from Shaylis, chasing her deep into the western mountains.

But those treacherous paths she flees through no longer resemble the home they once knew. Bands of enemy soldiers lie in wait, already succumbing to the demon’s will. The rivers and forests tainted with dark magic are stalked by perversions of the Destroyer’s own making.

Then the Destroyer finds the same relic responsible for Kaltor’s connection to his brother. Should she turn that device to her will, no force on earth will match her. But the tremendous cost of defeating her will cut Kaltor to his very soul…

Check it out on Amazon, Barnes and Noble or Smashwords.com!

Kaltor Guest Post

With ‘Desolate’ coming up next week, I’m throwing a book giveaway of ‘Decoy’ on http://blkosiner.blogspot.com/. Kaltor himself was kind enough to participate in the discussion, so if you enjoy our rants feel free to check it out.

It started with my trying to introduce ‘Desolate’ in conjunction to the arrival of Halloween. I wish I hadn’t made the trick or treat comment… It went something like this:

“Kaltor. Candy gathering is part of the holiday, quite possibly the most beloved part of the holiday by children everywhere. I’m reminding the readers of all the loot they used to gather.
Loot? In my world a hidden blade can save your life. King’s pay small fortunes in gold to out-maneuver the assassins of a rival. Most importantly, the Destroyer is out trying to use men’s souls as a bargaining chip for her own salvation. It has nothing to do with trick-or-treat.
But it has everything to do with Halloween! We’re talking about a recently freed demon on a killing spree and a bunch of aspiring assassins trying to put her back in her prison. It’s a perfect fit, don’t you agree?

…Aspiring? Did you just call me aspiring?!

Oh… Crap.”
To finish the conversation, click here and check out the last half of her October 24th post. Enjoy
And yes, you heard me right, ‘Desolate’ will be hitting electronic book shelves by next weekend!

Three New Short Stories

For those of you who enjoy shorter stories (of the $2.99 variety) I just published 3 more on amazon, barnes and noble and smashwords.com. They are ‘Binding Trial’, ‘Lucian’s Trial,’ and ‘Revenge to Redemption.’ Some of these are revised and edited versions of short stories I wrote last year, but this week I’m tackling some new ones as well.

I did these covers myself, with a little help from istockphoto.com. Each one includes a sample of my first novel, Decoy, so sharing these with your friends would be a great way to pull them into ‘Assassin’s Rising’ as well!

Wedding Preparations (don’t panic, it’s not mine).

Well, this week will be very memorable. Bri made it clear if I didn’t take four days off for the wedding she’d hunt me down herself. Thankfully my boss at work was willing to be flexible and managed to swing the free days I needed. Otherwise my life itself might have ended in a cliff hanger! My second oldest sister, Brianna, is getting married I haven’t seen her this happy in years. She’s marrying her best friend and couldn’t be happier. It’s exciting

Exciting? Speak for your self. You have people rooming in here from all over the country. Ugh, I hate crowds.

It’s a wedding Kaltor, what did you expect?

It’s a perfect assassination opportunity. Walking through crowds is like tying a flag to your hindquarters titled, ‘Insert blade here.’

You’re not in any of the novels at the moment, so no one here is going to try to kill you. Promise. I have more books I need from you anyways.

That didn’t help Taneth or Honmour out much did it? They’re still around, mostly. How am I supposed to rest easy when you could be planning on maiming me in some way during the festivities?

Well, if you’re that worried about it, you can move into the attic. No one will be up there.

Wait… There’s an attic?

Yes, didn’t you know that?

Obviously not!

Oh. I was wondering why you were bunked out in my closest. We aren’t that crowded-

Grrrr, Sebrick, If I didn’t have to worry about the events of the next book… We’d see just how fast you can run.

Then I’d have to invent a good anti-assassin character really fast to beat you away, I get the picture. Go roll up your bedroll and get some sleep. Just don’t whittle at the rafters with your daggers. The last thing I need is the roof caving in on a future in-law.

October’s Goals

Well, last week was pretty busy but I am back I moved out of my apartment and into my Grandpa’s house, which means the money I’m saving goes into getting ‘Desolate’ out as soon as possible! We’re shooting for October 31st as the goal, with any luck we might get it out a few days earlier than that.

Tonight I’ll be looking at my cover artist’s initial designs for the cover, which is also coming along on schedule. I’m excited to see what kind of images she has in mind, since she has a knack for illustration, as well as photo manipulation.

For those of you who also enjoy short stories, I’ll be going over a new batch this month with my mentor. I’m hoping to practice a couple of writing techniques in the short-term environment of a short story, so I can improve it at a faster rate and make the next Kaltor novel even better.

Yes, I’m already outlining the fifth Kaltor novel, but the character’s haven’t told me what the title will be yet. Oddly enough, that’s usually the last part a novel that I write. I like to wait until I have the entire draft done, that way my characters don’t get the chance to change things on my at the last second.

That’s about it for now. Kaltor is off nursing is most recent wounds, but he should be back ‘on the air’ later this week. Take care and have a great day everyone!