Cherie Colyer's Blog, page 36
February 26, 2016
Book Blitz and Giveaway: The Midnight Sea by Kat Ross
Congratulations to Kat Ross on her upcoming book,
The Midnight Sea!
The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element) by Kat Ross @katrossauthorGenre: fantasy
Release Date: May 10, 2016
About the Book
They are the light against the darkness.
The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.
And they use demons to hunt demons….
Nazafareen lives only for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.
Scarred by grief, she's willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he's possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other's emotions—and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.
As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius's past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…
Preorder your copy today!Amazon US | Amazon UK | Add to GoodReads
Excerpt
On my seventeenth birthday, the magus summoned me to his study.
I sat down and waited while he shuffled through a stack of papers. Finally, he looked up.
"I've found you a daēva," he said.
I sat very still, hardly breathing.
"His name is Darius. He was raised by the magi in Karnopolis. By all accounts, obedient and devout. And powerful." The magus held my eyes. "Very powerful. The strongest in generations, if his keepers are to be believed. You were chosen because your gift is so great." He sighed. "And because I can't leave either of you unbonded much longer. You're nearing the time when your mind will become too rigid to accept him, Nazafareen. And so that is my present to you. Are you happy?"
"Yes, magus. Very happy." I was happy. I was also nervous.
"Do you wish to meet him?"
My heart lurched. "He's here?"
"In the yard, waiting for us. Oh yes, and his curse is a withered left arm. I thought the fact that you are left-handed would be a nice complement."
I let out a long breath as we walked outside. Bonding my daēva meant I could hunt Druj. Go on patrol with Ilyas and the others. I'd been waiting for this moment for three years. And yet part of me still wanted to run in the other direction as fast as I could.
We came around the corner of the barracks and there he was. A boy still, although not for much longer. I took in the close-cropped brown hair and pale, serious face. His sky-blue tunic matched his eyes, which were not particularly warm. More along the lines of one of the glacial lakes I'd bathed in as a child.
I walked right up to him, refusing to be cowed. It seemed prudent to let him know who was in charge immediately.
"I'm Nazafareen," I said.
Darius nodded. His face was perfectly impassive, but did I see a spark in those eyes? Of fear? Contempt? It came and went too fast to tell.
I had no idea what to say next, so we just stood there in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the magus spoke.
"Come. Satrap Jaagos and the other Water Dogs are waiting."
The bonding ceremony took place in the audience chamber of the satrap. It was a cavernous room, with vaulted ceilings of gilded tile and three marble pillars. The walls were carved with bas-reliefs of horses, their arched necks and braided manes rendered in exquisite detail.
Jaagos sat on his throne, his Water Dogs arrayed to either side. Half of them wore tunics of sky blue, the other half of a deep, bloody red.
I'd seen Jaagos from afar a few times, but this was the closest I'd ever been to him. In the moment before I prostrated myself, I saw a chubby man dressed in a rich gown of silver thread. He was bald as an egg, with thick lips and sloping shoulders. A housecat among lions.
I pressed my forehead to the stone. To my right, Darius did the same.
I was keenly aware of the eyes of the Water Dogs on me. They were the ones I wanted to impress, especially Ilyas. I didn't give a fig about the satrap, except that I knew I didn't want to make him angry. His authority was absolute, the hand of the King in Tel Khalujah, and if he wanted me dead, he had only to make the slightest gesture and it would be done.
"Get on with it," Jaagos said after an appropriate amount of time had passed for the obeisance.
The magus stepped forward. "You are Water Dogs, the holiest of all dogs," he said. "Without water there is no life, yet water has the power to destroy as well as to create. May your impurities be washed away." The magus slowly poured the contents of a silver bowl over our heads.
"May the Holy Father keep you and guide your actions," he intoned. "May the bond bestowed this day be true and pure. May you always serve the cause of light and shun the darkness."
He set the bowl aside and pulled on a pair of leather gloves. Then he took out a gold cuff, thick and worked with snarling lions. Had he touched it with his bare hands, he would have bonded Darius himself instantly.
The magus's face swam in my vision as he knelt before us. Darius had gone a deathly pale, but he looked at the cuff—the twin of one already encircling his right arm—without wavering. I resolved not to show him how afraid I was. Not to give him that victory.
"You will fight as one, live as one," the magus said. "You will carry out the will of the Holy Father, as directed by your King and satrap. Good words, good thoughts, good deeds. By the Prophet and the Holy Father are you bonded."
Then he snapped the cuff around my wrist and locked it with a tiny golden key. I may have cried out. I probably did. Because I wasn't alone anymore. Floodgates opened in my mind, releasing a torrent of alien emotions. Next to me, Darius drew a sharp breath as the same thing happened to him, although I barely heard it.
Panic surged through me, followed by an aching loss so deep it tore a hole in my heart. I didn't know if it was mine or his, or both feeding off the other. And I felt his power, a deep, churning pool of it, held tight in my fist.
"It is done," the magus said.
My knees trembled as I stood. Darius offered me his hand but I was afraid to touch him so Ilyas took charge of me, leading me from the audience chamber to the fire temple. We knelt there together. I tried to pray, but my teeth were chattering.
"It gets easier with time," Ilyas said in a soothing tone, as if he was talking to a small child. "You'll learn to tell the difference between your own feelings and his. To separate them. To hold onto yourself."
I nodded but I didn't believe him. I just wanted to tear the cuff from my wrist. To get Darius and his bottomless despair out of my head. But that was impossible. It was locked in place.
"Look into the flames," Ilyas said. "Imagine them burning your fear away. Scouring your mind clean of thought. Feed it all to the holy fire. You have the gift, Nazafareen. Now you must learn to control it, or it will destroy you."
I tried to do as he instructed. For a moment, I felt as though I'd broken the surface, that the torrent was easing a little, but then it came back stronger than ever.
I jumped to my feet and just made it to the courtyard before I threw up.
They let me go to my bed after that for the rest of the day. Everyone left me alone. They understood that I couldn't bear to be near even a single other person. I had enough of them in my head already
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author:Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.
Keep in touch with KatWebsite | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter
The Midnight Sea!
The Midnight Sea (The Fourth Element) by Kat Ross @katrossauthorGenre: fantasyRelease Date: May 10, 2016
About the Book
They are the light against the darkness.
The steel against the necromancy of the Druj.
And they use demons to hunt demons….
Nazafareen lives only for revenge. A girl of the isolated Four-Legs Clan, all she knows about the King's elite Water Dogs is that they bind wicked creatures called daevas to protect the empire from the Undead. But when scouts arrive to recruit young people with the gift, she leaps at the chance to join their ranks. To hunt the monsters that killed her sister.
Scarred by grief, she's willing to pay any price, even if it requires linking with a daeva named Darius. Human in body, he's possessed of a terrifying power, one that Nazafareen controls. But the golden cuffs that join them have an unwanted side effect. Each experiences the other's emotions—and human and daeva start to grow dangerously close.
As they pursue a deadly foe across the arid waste of the Great Salt Plain to the glittering capital of Persepolae, unearthing the secrets of Darius's past along the way, Nazafareen is forced to question his slavery—and her own loyalty to the empire. But with an ancient evil stirring in the north, and a young conqueror sweeping in from the west, the fate of an entire civilization may be at stake…
Preorder your copy today!Amazon US | Amazon UK | Add to GoodReads
Excerpt
On my seventeenth birthday, the magus summoned me to his study.
I sat down and waited while he shuffled through a stack of papers. Finally, he looked up.
"I've found you a daēva," he said.
I sat very still, hardly breathing.
"His name is Darius. He was raised by the magi in Karnopolis. By all accounts, obedient and devout. And powerful." The magus held my eyes. "Very powerful. The strongest in generations, if his keepers are to be believed. You were chosen because your gift is so great." He sighed. "And because I can't leave either of you unbonded much longer. You're nearing the time when your mind will become too rigid to accept him, Nazafareen. And so that is my present to you. Are you happy?"
"Yes, magus. Very happy." I was happy. I was also nervous.
"Do you wish to meet him?"
My heart lurched. "He's here?"
"In the yard, waiting for us. Oh yes, and his curse is a withered left arm. I thought the fact that you are left-handed would be a nice complement."
I let out a long breath as we walked outside. Bonding my daēva meant I could hunt Druj. Go on patrol with Ilyas and the others. I'd been waiting for this moment for three years. And yet part of me still wanted to run in the other direction as fast as I could.
We came around the corner of the barracks and there he was. A boy still, although not for much longer. I took in the close-cropped brown hair and pale, serious face. His sky-blue tunic matched his eyes, which were not particularly warm. More along the lines of one of the glacial lakes I'd bathed in as a child.
I walked right up to him, refusing to be cowed. It seemed prudent to let him know who was in charge immediately.
"I'm Nazafareen," I said.
Darius nodded. His face was perfectly impassive, but did I see a spark in those eyes? Of fear? Contempt? It came and went too fast to tell.
I had no idea what to say next, so we just stood there in awkward silence for what felt like an eternity. Finally, the magus spoke.
"Come. Satrap Jaagos and the other Water Dogs are waiting."
The bonding ceremony took place in the audience chamber of the satrap. It was a cavernous room, with vaulted ceilings of gilded tile and three marble pillars. The walls were carved with bas-reliefs of horses, their arched necks and braided manes rendered in exquisite detail.
Jaagos sat on his throne, his Water Dogs arrayed to either side. Half of them wore tunics of sky blue, the other half of a deep, bloody red.
I'd seen Jaagos from afar a few times, but this was the closest I'd ever been to him. In the moment before I prostrated myself, I saw a chubby man dressed in a rich gown of silver thread. He was bald as an egg, with thick lips and sloping shoulders. A housecat among lions.
I pressed my forehead to the stone. To my right, Darius did the same.
I was keenly aware of the eyes of the Water Dogs on me. They were the ones I wanted to impress, especially Ilyas. I didn't give a fig about the satrap, except that I knew I didn't want to make him angry. His authority was absolute, the hand of the King in Tel Khalujah, and if he wanted me dead, he had only to make the slightest gesture and it would be done.
"Get on with it," Jaagos said after an appropriate amount of time had passed for the obeisance.
The magus stepped forward. "You are Water Dogs, the holiest of all dogs," he said. "Without water there is no life, yet water has the power to destroy as well as to create. May your impurities be washed away." The magus slowly poured the contents of a silver bowl over our heads.
"May the Holy Father keep you and guide your actions," he intoned. "May the bond bestowed this day be true and pure. May you always serve the cause of light and shun the darkness."
He set the bowl aside and pulled on a pair of leather gloves. Then he took out a gold cuff, thick and worked with snarling lions. Had he touched it with his bare hands, he would have bonded Darius himself instantly.
The magus's face swam in my vision as he knelt before us. Darius had gone a deathly pale, but he looked at the cuff—the twin of one already encircling his right arm—without wavering. I resolved not to show him how afraid I was. Not to give him that victory.
"You will fight as one, live as one," the magus said. "You will carry out the will of the Holy Father, as directed by your King and satrap. Good words, good thoughts, good deeds. By the Prophet and the Holy Father are you bonded."
Then he snapped the cuff around my wrist and locked it with a tiny golden key. I may have cried out. I probably did. Because I wasn't alone anymore. Floodgates opened in my mind, releasing a torrent of alien emotions. Next to me, Darius drew a sharp breath as the same thing happened to him, although I barely heard it.
Panic surged through me, followed by an aching loss so deep it tore a hole in my heart. I didn't know if it was mine or his, or both feeding off the other. And I felt his power, a deep, churning pool of it, held tight in my fist.
"It is done," the magus said.
My knees trembled as I stood. Darius offered me his hand but I was afraid to touch him so Ilyas took charge of me, leading me from the audience chamber to the fire temple. We knelt there together. I tried to pray, but my teeth were chattering.
"It gets easier with time," Ilyas said in a soothing tone, as if he was talking to a small child. "You'll learn to tell the difference between your own feelings and his. To separate them. To hold onto yourself."
I nodded but I didn't believe him. I just wanted to tear the cuff from my wrist. To get Darius and his bottomless despair out of my head. But that was impossible. It was locked in place.
"Look into the flames," Ilyas said. "Imagine them burning your fear away. Scouring your mind clean of thought. Feed it all to the holy fire. You have the gift, Nazafareen. Now you must learn to control it, or it will destroy you."
I tried to do as he instructed. For a moment, I felt as though I'd broken the surface, that the torrent was easing a little, but then it came back stronger than ever.
I jumped to my feet and just made it to the courtyard before I threw up.
They let me go to my bed after that for the rest of the day. Everyone left me alone. They understood that I couldn't bear to be near even a single other person. I had enough of them in my head already
a Rafflecopter giveaway
About the Author:Kat Ross worked as a journalist at the United Nations for ten years before happily falling back into what she likes best: making stuff up. She lives in Westchester with her kid and a few sleepy cats. Kat is also the author of the dystopian thriller Some Fine Day (Skyscape, 2014), about a world where the sea levels have risen sixty meters. She loves magic, monsters and doomsday scenarios. Preferably with mutants.
Keep in touch with KatWebsite | Facebook | Twitter | Goodreads | Newsletter
February 8, 2016
Fall in Love with YA Giveaway Hop
To celebrate the upcoming release of Jessica Hawke's novel, Phantom Traces, I’m partnering with some awesome YA authors in the Fall in Love with YA Giveaway Hop!
If you enjoy well-written YA fiction featuring feisty characters and sizzling supernatural creatures that span the spectrum from ghosts to witches to mermaids to angels, then do yourself a favor and take a chance with the Fall in Love with YA Giveaway. It’s free to enter, and you’ve got a better chance to win than the Powerball!
Check out what's up for grabs!
3 $10 Amazon Gift Cardsebook of Phantom Touch by Jessica HawkeeBook of Speak of the Devil by Shawna RomkeyeBook of The Devil Made Me Do It by Shawna RomkeyeBook of The Devil You Know by Shawna RomkeyeBook of Tiva Boon: Royal Guardian by Jenn NixoneBook of Descent by Katie O'SullivaneBook of Embrace by Cherie ColyereBook of Some Fine Day by Kat RosseBook of Death Lies Between Us by Jody Kessler
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Giveaway runs from February 8 to February 15. Winners will be notified by email by February 19th. Please share with your friends and spread the word about this awesome giveaway!
February 3, 2016
Updates, Cover Reveal & an Upcoming Hop #IWSG
Hi everyone! It's hard to believe January is over. I hope 2016 is off to a good start for you.
I've said it before and I'll say it again, the best way to keep your mind off your worries is to keep busy. Between my day job and juggling the first draft of my MG fantasy and my YA realistic romance, I've been too busy to dwell on insecurities. And working on two novels at one time has worked well for me, because when I get stuck on one, I just switch to the other. I've added about 5000-words to the YA novel and a little more than that to the MG fantasy. Both are coming along, slowly but surely. You can see my progress on these projects over on the sidebar.
In other news:
The cover to my good friend and critique partner's new book FLIP THE BIRD was revealed last week. Click here to learn more about her upcoming release and to add it to your to-be-read list.
Stop by next week for the Fall In Love with YA Giveaway Hop for a chance to win an Amazon gift card and other great prizes!
How's your writing coming? Are you keeping your insecurities at bay? Or at least keeping busy? Any good news to share?
Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and our co-hosts for keeping IWSG going. For those who aren't familiar with Insecure Writer's Support Group, just follow the link. It's a wonderful group.
January 18, 2016
It's a Challenging Destiny sort of day
Hi everyone!
Challenging Destiny is making its way around the blog-sphere today. You can meet the darker side of Kira Rose at Uncommon YA and get a sneak peek of the book if you hop over to Jessica Therrien's blog.
Enjoy!
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | GoodreadsJanuary 6, 2016
Start the New Year Right: Setting Goals #IWSG
Hi everyone!
It's time to share our thoughts, insecurities, and encouraging words. Thanks to Alex and our co-hosts for keeping IWSG going. For those who aren't familiar with Insecure Writer's Support Group, just follow the link. It's a wonderful group.
I'm a big believe in setting realistic goals, and for 2016 my goal is to stay focused. To help me do that with my writing, I've set the following goals:Exercise patience while my agent submits my latest YA novel. (This one is ALWAYS hard. I think I feign patience better than I exercise it.Finish at least one first draft. With three project in the works (a MG fantasy, a YA realistic romance, and an Adult paranormal romance) this should be doable. Polish the novel I finish.Promote my published works. Because they need love too.
I added a word-count widget to the sidebar so that I can see the progress I'm making on my WIPs. Percentage wise, the MG fantasy is winning.
How were your holidays? Are you a patience person? Have you set any goals?
Thanks for stopping by. Happy New Year!
December 18, 2015
Seasons Greetings!
Have a safe and happy holiday season
and may all your dreams come true!
December 11, 2015
Interview with R.P. Channing, author of Thirst, Blood of my Blood
Hi everyone!
I'm excited to have R.P. Channing here with me today. His book, Thirst, Blood of my Blood, is now available on Amazon.
Thirst, Blood of my Bloodby R.P. ChanningGenres: Young Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, High School, Vampires, Demons, Witches, Dark Fantasy, Horror
About the book:~ Kira Sutherland ~
After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:
1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)
She chooses the latter...
~ Cory Rand ~
Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.
Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:
1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.
He chooses the latter...
It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.
Things he's always ignored.
Until now.
Please help me welcome R.P. Channing.
Cherie: Where did you get the idea for your novel?R.P. Channing: Honestly? It came out of nowhere. I just started writing one day and it grew. The story as it is now bears little resemblance to the one I started writing initially. The ideas came to me as I wrote and developed the characters.
Cherie: Funny how much an idea can change once an author starts to write the story. What was the most difficult chapter to write?R.P. Channing: The entire second half of the book was absolute murder to write. I lost count of the number of times I rewrote the thing and touched it up.
Cherie: Can you share with us something about Kira and Cory that we don’t learn about them from reading the book?R.P. Channing: Kira lives in New York State (either in Nassau or Suffolk County). I decided not to mention this so she could be from "Any Town USA" as her hometown has little bearing on the story. Cory's mother was drinking and driving when she had the car accident. This is not mentioned in the book.
The other thing I didn't reveal is the true source of Cory's internal power... ;)
Cherie: Interesting insight into both of your characters. So tell us, what are you working on now? R.P. Channing: Book Two. There will be several in this series, but each book will stand on its own, with no cliffhangers, and no need to read the earlier books to understand the later ones.
I am also working on another story (mostly in my head) that I've picked up and dropped three times already, a dystopian novel that really excites me - but there is no time for it now. The Starkfield Academy series will take precedence for now.
Cherie: Good to know there will be more books! Thanks for being with us today.
Read THIRST, BLOOD OF MY BLOOD today:Amazon US |Amazon UK
Kindle Unlimited
Author BioR P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because I wouldn’t feel bad telling my mother about it...” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy. If it has words in it, I’ll take it.
Find R.P. Channing:
Websitehttp://blog.rpchanning.comTwitter@rpchanningAmazon
http://amazon.com/author/rpchanning
I'm excited to have R.P. Channing here with me today. His book, Thirst, Blood of my Blood, is now available on Amazon.
Thirst, Blood of my Bloodby R.P. ChanningGenres: Young Adult Romance, Paranormal Romance, High School, Vampires, Demons, Witches, Dark Fantasy, Horror
About the book:~ Kira Sutherland ~
After a near fatal accident (and getting cheated on by her 'boyfriend'), and beating up the lead cheerleader (with whom the boyfriend cheated...), and being labeled as having 'issues' in her school because she, uhm, sees ghosts, Kira is left with two choices:
1. Continue her 'therapy' (where she's told the ghost is a hallucination and also gets her legs ogled too often...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, a boarding school for "Crazies and Convicts" (as the social media sites call them.)
She chooses the latter...
~ Cory Rand ~
Cory Rand has not had an easy life. His mother died in a car accident when he was twelve, and so did his mother's best friend...sort of. You see, Janice made a promise to take care of Cory just before she died, and so she lingers. Undead. A ghost that watches out for him.
Brought up in an abusive home, Cory quickly falls into a life of disreputable behavior. After his third offense (which was prompted by a girl, as usual - he has a weakness) he's left with two choices:
1. Be tried as an adult and share a cell with a guy named Bubba (he thinks...)
Or
2. Go to Starkfield Academy, which Cory is pretty sure is run by vampires. But, hey, at least he'll get an education.
He chooses the latter...
It's at Starkfield that Kira meets Cory Rand, a boy with an insatiable Rage who sees ghosts, too. As well as other things, other things from his past, things that confuse him, things like fire and witches and demons.
Things he's always ignored.
Until now.
Please help me welcome R.P. Channing.
Cherie: Where did you get the idea for your novel?R.P. Channing: Honestly? It came out of nowhere. I just started writing one day and it grew. The story as it is now bears little resemblance to the one I started writing initially. The ideas came to me as I wrote and developed the characters.
Cherie: Funny how much an idea can change once an author starts to write the story. What was the most difficult chapter to write?R.P. Channing: The entire second half of the book was absolute murder to write. I lost count of the number of times I rewrote the thing and touched it up.
Cherie: Can you share with us something about Kira and Cory that we don’t learn about them from reading the book?R.P. Channing: Kira lives in New York State (either in Nassau or Suffolk County). I decided not to mention this so she could be from "Any Town USA" as her hometown has little bearing on the story. Cory's mother was drinking and driving when she had the car accident. This is not mentioned in the book.
The other thing I didn't reveal is the true source of Cory's internal power... ;)
Cherie: Interesting insight into both of your characters. So tell us, what are you working on now? R.P. Channing: Book Two. There will be several in this series, but each book will stand on its own, with no cliffhangers, and no need to read the earlier books to understand the later ones.
I am also working on another story (mostly in my head) that I've picked up and dropped three times already, a dystopian novel that really excites me - but there is no time for it now. The Starkfield Academy series will take precedence for now.
Cherie: Good to know there will be more books! Thanks for being with us today.
Read THIRST, BLOOD OF MY BLOOD today:Amazon US |Amazon UK
Kindle Unlimited
Author BioR P Channing started writing three years ago, but never published anything even after churning out over a million words of fiction. Thirst: Blood of my Blood is the first book he dared to publish. When asked why, he said, “Because I wouldn’t feel bad telling my mother about it...” When not hammering away (most literally) at his keyboard, he can be found buried in a book, reading anything from romance to horror to young adult to non-fiction to comedy. If it has words in it, I’ll take it.
Find R.P. Channing:
Websitehttp://blog.rpchanning.comTwitter@rpchanningAmazon
http://amazon.com/author/rpchanning
December 4, 2015
Writing in an Active Voice
Michael Abayomi's IWSG post reminded me of a guest post I did for Uncommon YA earlier this year that I thought was worth repeating here since it's a subject that comes up often in my critique groups and in workshops. If you haven't visited Michael's blog, you should check it out. He always shares insightful posts.
So, here I go again, talking about voice. But voice in a novel is so important and it's not always about dialogue and inner monologue. Today I'm talking about writing with an active voice and using strong verbs.
An active voice will help your prose come alive and have readers devouring the words in front of them, But what exactly is an active voice? Simply put: in a sentence written in an active voice the subject of the sentence performs an action.
It's the difference between saying:
She was walking.versusShe walked.
And:
I have been sleepingversusI slept.
An active voice conveys a clear, concise image of what the characters are doing, and this helps readers form a picture of the scene in their mind. It tightens the writing and makes the story stronger.
TIP: Search your work-in-progress for auxiliary verbs and replace them with active verbs. Examples of auxiliary verbs: am, are, is, was, were, will be, has been, had been.
Now let's take our writing one step further and add strong, more expressive verbs and a little more detail to the use of an active voice to help readers paint a vivid picture of the scene in their mind and have them feeling as if they are in the middle of the action.
You could say, “He pressed the button.”
But “He jabbed the button with new purpose” paints a better picture of the character's emotion and actions.
Strong verbs do a better job of captivating readers.
There's nothing wrong with “He looked my way.”
But “His sapphire gaze burned through me” not only shows us what the character is doing, it conveys a sense of intensity and intimacy.
It's the difference in saying, “She sat, tired.” and ”She flopped down on the threadbare sofa, exhausted.”
Strong verbs pull readers into the story and keeps them turning the pages.
TIP: Use verbs that convey the clearest message. Examples: ate or devoured; hit or pummel.
Take the challenge: watch for places in your work-in-progress where you can turn a passive passage into an active one and where you can chop weak verbs and replace them with strong verbs. I promise you'll be happy with the results.
I'm always on the lookout for tips and advice on writing, so please feel free to share your tips in the comment section!
Thanks for stopping by!
So, here I go again, talking about voice. But voice in a novel is so important and it's not always about dialogue and inner monologue. Today I'm talking about writing with an active voice and using strong verbs.
An active voice will help your prose come alive and have readers devouring the words in front of them, But what exactly is an active voice? Simply put: in a sentence written in an active voice the subject of the sentence performs an action.
It's the difference between saying:
She was walking.versusShe walked.
And:
I have been sleepingversusI slept.
An active voice conveys a clear, concise image of what the characters are doing, and this helps readers form a picture of the scene in their mind. It tightens the writing and makes the story stronger.
TIP: Search your work-in-progress for auxiliary verbs and replace them with active verbs. Examples of auxiliary verbs: am, are, is, was, were, will be, has been, had been.
Now let's take our writing one step further and add strong, more expressive verbs and a little more detail to the use of an active voice to help readers paint a vivid picture of the scene in their mind and have them feeling as if they are in the middle of the action.
You could say, “He pressed the button.”
But “He jabbed the button with new purpose” paints a better picture of the character's emotion and actions.
Strong verbs do a better job of captivating readers.
There's nothing wrong with “He looked my way.”
But “His sapphire gaze burned through me” not only shows us what the character is doing, it conveys a sense of intensity and intimacy.
It's the difference in saying, “She sat, tired.” and ”She flopped down on the threadbare sofa, exhausted.”
Strong verbs pull readers into the story and keeps them turning the pages.
TIP: Use verbs that convey the clearest message. Examples: ate or devoured; hit or pummel.
Take the challenge: watch for places in your work-in-progress where you can turn a passive passage into an active one and where you can chop weak verbs and replace them with strong verbs. I promise you'll be happy with the results.
I'm always on the lookout for tips and advice on writing, so please feel free to share your tips in the comment section!
Thanks for stopping by!
December 2, 2015
From the beginning, #IWSG
Hi everyone!You might remember from a few months ago that I mentioned things here have been hectic. The good news is life is starting to level out again, thank goodness. My insecurity now is that it might not last. Or maybe that's more of a fear. Either way, I'm trying very hard to focus on positive things and one of those things is my writing.
I started three projects: a MG fantasy, a realistic YA, and an adult paranormal. It's not uncommon for me to work on a couple projects at one time, but this is the first time I have three first drafts going. I tried outlining, but that wasn't helping me figure out what I want to happen. So for now I'm writing the scenes I know and will worry about filling in the rest later. I am hoping to fall into a good flow with one of these stories. Fingers crossed that's soon. Are you an outliner or a pantser? Do you work on more than one story at a time? How do you pick which project you're going to focus on?
Thanks to Alex Cavanaugh and our co-hosts for keeping IWSG going. For those who aren't familiar with Insecure Writer's Support Group, just follow the link. It's a wonderful group.
Happy Holidays!
October 7, 2015
#IWSG Be Inspired
Hi everyone!
Life in general has been a bit hectic these past few month, which has left me little time to fret over writing. So this month, for IWSG, I'm keeping things simple and sharing a few inspirational quotes that keep me going. I hope you enjoy them.
Found on LaurenBerger.buzznet.com
And one more for fun (and because I truly hope it's true) ...
Do any of these quotes resonate with you? How's life in your neck of the woods?
Thanks to Alex and our co-hosts for keeping IWSG going. For those who aren't familiar with Insecure Writer's Support Group, just follow the link. It's a wonderful group.
