R.L. Naquin's Blog, page 13

How a Single Book Grew into a Series

When I first set out to write Monster in My Closet, I had a vague notion that it had potential to be a series, but writing that first book–well, that was the goal. Get through this. Prove you can do it.

By the time I was finished, I’d figured out what mystery wasn’t going to get solved, what string I needed to leave hanging. I had no idea what the answer to The Question was, but I knew it was going to carry me through two more books.

While I wrote Pooka in My Pantry, The Answer hit me. I knew what happened in the past to set things in motion, and I had a vague idea of what was going on in the present outside my main character’s line of vision. The Answer was only one book away.

So, now I’m working on Fairies in My Fireplace. My editor asked if she could take a peek at the outline, so I sent it to her–not so much an outline, mind you, but a 1500 word ramble of sequential and non-sequential events and character arcs. She liked it very much. Except for one thing.

One very, very big thing.

The way I’d planned it out, Fairies pretty much wrapped it all up with a nice bow with the bad guy taken care of and a happily ever after. No, no, no. Shouldn’t we save some of these things for book four? What about books five and six?

Now, I’ll be honest, here. I’d planned a three book arc, thinking that if it sold well, I could go back and write more of them somewhere down the line after doing three books in the new djinn series. They could be a brand new arc.

They don’t tell you that one of the many jobs of an editor is to save you from your own shortsightedness.

So. Update: I’m working on developmental edits for Pooka and hope to have them done by the end of this week. I signed up for Camp NaNoWriMo (because I’m a glutton for punishment), thinking I should learn the skill of editing one book while writing another. I’ve since realized how stupid and counter-productive that is, but if I can hit these edits hard, I can jump into Camp NaNo a week late and try to catch up. 50k in three weeks instead of four? Let’s do it!

Snort.

In the meantime, though, I can’t start Fairies properly until I figure out The Big Bad in books 4-6. I could write it, but knowing what’s influencing the events in Fairies behind the scenes will help me write a better first draft.

I know who it is. I don’t yet know the what and the why. But I’m getting there.

And it’s gonna be Big.

Chasing the Supernatural Across the Internet

You know by now that I love the supernatural, urban legends, unsolved mysterious happenings. I can get sidetracked so easily by a reported UFO sighting or a friend who’s hearing weird noises in her house.

Cryptozoology gets me so excited I have to run and pee before I can read a new article. Webcam footage of a ghost in your kitchen? I am so there. I will watch it over and over. A YouTube video from Mexico supposedly showing a creepy gnome that walks sideways kept my attention for days. In fact, going over there just now to find the link for you cost me the last 45 minutes since there were so many other cool things to watch afterward.  Here. Watch this creepy video:

Before you get too down on me, no, I don’t believe everything I see. I don’t know what the hell is in that video above, but it creeps me out. And that’s enough.

I like the little shiver that comes with not knowing. The whisper in my ear that says “Holy crap, what is that?” The feeling of disorientation when I’m not sure if somebody faked it, something weird is going on, or a reasonable explanation is just out of reach.

Here’s a video by someone who can’t seem to spell very well, but who’s managed to collect a wonderful variety of photos and artwork of the various flying cryptids out there—Thunderbirds, rods, mothman, pterodactyls. It’s a good collection.

True story: I lost some major time over the past week writing this post. Just one more video, that’s all. If I can find one more good one, I’ll put it in the post and be done.

And I kept watching. Don’t be like me, folks. If you’ve got work to do, stay away from YouTube videos.

I never did find that “just one more.” Then a friend of mine posted a news story on Facebook. Three, as you know, is a magic number, so I couldn’t finish this post until I had something. And there it was–a group of high school kids who saw a Bigfoot. Gold.

ABC News: Bigfoot Spotted in Idaho? (Link opens in a new tab. Sorry, I couldn’t embed the video.)

Bigfoot Spotted in Idaho. Awesome.

Have a great weekend!

Dream Eaters in the Cafe

Happy Wednesday! I missed Monday’s post, but I hoped you’d give me a little slack, since it was a holiday.

So. Not only is it Confabulator Cafe day, but it’s Flash Fiction Week over there! Yay!

The theme this time around is “Dreams and Cooking.” We took those two words and scattered in all different directions like cockroaches at the flick of a light switch. Every one of us did something different, so it’s worth reading them all.

But this is my website, so I’ll give you a link to my story to get you started: The Dream Eaters. It has monsters. Of course it does. You know I love monsters.

I’ll be back Friday.

See you real soon!

Cave Dwelling

Infinite Cave in Vietnam -- Photo by Carsten Peter at National Geographic

Today my head is full of caves.

I’ve never been terribly interested in going spelunking. Tight spaces make me a bit nervous, though I wouldn’t say I’m claustrophobic, exactly. I’ve been in small spots before and didn’t freak out. But anytime a character in a book or movie can’t breath, I can’t breath. I can’t keep my head under the covers for very long because I think I’m going to run out of air. Being too close to someone else’s face gets me twitchy, too. If we’re breathing the same oxygen back and forth, we’re turning it all to carbon dioxide, and there won’t be any left.

A little science is dangerous to the mind. Total ignorance or complete understanding is safer.

Anyway. Caves. A few days ago, I saw this picture of a cave in Vietnam. It’s so enormous, there’s a forest inside. Seriously. Totally unexplored forest inside an underground cavern. What sorts of creatures might be living in there? I’m going with dinosaurs on this one. Dinosaurs, people. If Nessie’s out there in the semi-open after all this time, why couldn’t a herd of brachiosaurs be lumbering about in all that greenery?

Might be djinn. Might be a map to the Well of Souls. Photo by Oman Touristry

And what about the Majlis Al Jinn cave in Oman? It’s a single chamber, five stories high, and accessible only by three holes in the ceiling. Translated, it means “Meeting Place of the Jinn.”

I have a book I bought for research about djinn. In it, the author talks about this cave, and how very dangerous it is, due to the angry spirits residing inside. She tells a story of getting halfway down, only to be engulfed by green mist, and hearing a deep, threatening voice warning her to leave. She says in the book that the cave was closed by the Oman government shortly after that, and no one is allowed inside.

I love this story. So I was a little resentful when I found out it was an American couple who named it back in the ’80s. Locals call it “Khoshilat Maqandeli” which has something to do with being a goat refuge. Sure, they believe djinn live in the caverns within the caves, but they don’t seem to be freaked out about it. And to complete the total let down, the Ministry of Tourism in Oman has opened it up as a show cave to attract visitors.

Photo Credit: © Speleoresearch & Films/ Oscar Necoechea

Still, I like to imagine the mystery of the whole thing anyway.

And last, I will leave you with this picture of the Lost Crystal Caves in Naica, Chihuahua, Mexico. In this case, it’s not about what might be lurking inside, it’s about what might have built it.

Sure, I get it. Science, blablahblah. But aliens? That’s far more interesting.

Perspective at the Cafe

I’m running a little late today with this post. Better late than never, yes?

It’s Wednesday, so if you’re interested, pop on over to the Confabulator Cafe. This week, we were asked to talk about point of view in our work and which PoV is our favorite.

As usual, I danced around the subject. ‘Cause that’s how I roll, baby.

There’s nudity, cheese, and a dead buffalo involved. I don’t know if that’ll entice you at all, but it’s all I’ve got. The post is here: It’s All a Matter of Perspective.

As usual, I recommend you stay awhile over there and see what the other Confabulators have to say on the subject as well.

See you real soon!

Playing Catch Up and Stuff

Catch up? Ketchup? Catsup?

I am extremely fortunate having Mr. Miracle in my corner for this wondrous new career I’m building.

For one thing, he’s also a writer. We have very different styles, but we still write in similar genres. This means I’ve got my first beta reader right there next to me. It also means, thanks to his excellent proofreading skills, he catches most of my errors before they go anywhere.

Best of all, it means he understands all the manic mood swings–the flashes of ego, the certainty of extreme suckitude, and the weird behaviors I often exhibit while working out a story.

I’m the luckiest writer on Earth.

But that’s not all of it. You may have noticed the site looks a little different today. Mr. Miracle also used to do freelance web design. We spent most of Saturday working on the new look. He’s had some difficult clients in the past, but apparently, I rank up there as one of the worst. This makes me a little proud, in an obnoxious sort of way.

Anyway, I hope you like the new look. It needed a landing page, for starters, rather than just being a blog. With one book being released in a few months, another already coming right behind it, and book three coming together, the site needed to be an actual author page, rather than just my blog. Sure, it’s still a little bare, but those pages are going to start filling up rather quickly. I’m on a roll now. Every three to six months, a new book or story should be released. We have to be ready for that. They have to go somewhere, right?

I miss my swirly things and my stark black and white scheme. I put him through hell to design that to match the picture I had in my head. But it was time to have a look more in keeping with my genre. And my cover, of course.

So. I hope you like it. I’m a happy client, even if I was cranky and difficult during the design process.

Today is for tidying up loose ends, mostly. Getting a few last things off my plate in preparation for developmental edits on Pooka in My Pantry. I’m excited about it. I know I’m supposed to be dreading the process, but I’m not. I might have a change of heart once I see what my editor has in mind, but for now, I’m looking forward to it.

Book three is churning in my head, and big things are coming with that one. Poor Zoey.

I’ve signed up for the June segment of Camp NaNoWriMo. Yeah, that’s right. I’m going to attempt 50,000 words on book three while simultaneously editing book two.

For my next magic trick, I’ll attempt to eat my own head while roller skating across a flaming swimming pool.

Cover me. I’m going in.

See you real soon!

Here Be Monsters

Photo credit: Nick Ballard

Just a quick one, today. I’m over at Here Be Magic talking about monsters.

Of course it’s about monsters. I’m obsessed with monsters. I’m building a career on monsters.

Monsters are my life. And they should be your life, too. Really. Monsters. What’s not to love?

So, if you’re so inclined, head on over for today’s post, Blurring the Lines with Monsters.

I’ll be back on Monday, talking about something else. Foot fungus, maybe. Or the national deficit. The war on women.

Yawn.

Probably more monsters.

See you real soon!

Drowning in Stuff

Well, it’s Wednesday. You know what that means…Confabulator Cafe!

Except, it’s not.

This is the first time since we opened our virtual doors that I haven’t written a post for my Wednesday slot. I didn’t forget. I will admit, I was terribly late, which I’ll talk about in a minute, but when it came down to the wire, I didn’t have a damn thing to add to this week’s topic.

If you’re a writer, you really should head over there. This is an especially good week, I think. We were tasked with sharing links for all our go-to writing resources on the Internet. So far, I’ve seen some of my favorite blogs listed, the same online dictionary and Thesaurus I use named, and Jack even mentioned Duotrope, my favorite place to go to seek out the right markets for submitting short stories.

My spot is only halfway through the week, but my resources have all been tagged already. So, I made a bold decision: They can do without me for the week. Just the one week, mind you.

And in the meantime, I’ll get caught up. Because I am so behind in everything right now:

I haven’t Tweeted anything since last week.
I’ve missed three out of four  of the last posts here on my own website.
I haven’t written my post for Here be Magic, which goes up Friday.
I’m already late for next week’s Confabulator Cafe post.
I have a flash fiction story due for Confabulator by Sunday.
Monster Trivia hasn’t happened for a week and a half.

What the hell? How’d I get so lost?

I’m not really sure, to be honest. Mostly, I blame the short story I’ve been working on. But if you’ll cast your eyes to the right, you’ll see that it’s finally finished. It needs a little more editing before I send it off, but it’s off my plate.

So, here I am, feeling a little like I’m drowning. I’ve got blog tours to arrange for release month, some promotional videos to make, interviews to write up, edits on book two coming next week, and book three waiting for me to get started on it.

But first,let’s clear out the backlog. Once I’ve caught back up, I won’t be as stressed, right?

Right?

Wanted: One personal assistant to keep me on track, make me eat, and tell me what to tackle next. Pay negotiable. You tell me how much you need, and I’ll negotiate you down to working for free.

Deep breath. Back to work.

See you on Friday! (I promise.)

Cover Art, Series Title, and a Little Something Frothy

First, I have to tell you, I got my final cover about five minutes ago. I had most of it a few days ago, but they still hadn’t settled on the series title. Well, now it’s here. And I cannot express how happy I am with the whole thing.

Take a look:

I love the series title, chosen by the wonderful and marketing-savvy peeps at Carina Press. I love the artwork by the absolutely amazing Frauke Spanuth of Croco Designs. She was my dream artist for this cover, and it turns out, she’s the one who did it.

Go on. Click on it. Make it bigger! Be wowed by the power of Zoey’s zany dress. Tremble at Maurice’s terrifying eyes. Let your heart swell with pride for Zoey’s swift thinking in her choice of a toilet brush as a weapon against things that go bump in the night.

The fonts! The colors! The model who is now and forever how I will picture Zoey in my head!

I am a very happy girl.

On that note, I leave you with one other thing. It’s Wednesday, so please head on over to the Confabulator Cafe where, this week, we’re talking about what makes us feel good about our writing. Here’s my post: The Best Part of Writing

See you real soon!

Dazzling, Unexpected Moments

All my life I dreamed about getting “The Call.” I imagined it all sorts of ways, and I pictured all sorts of reactions. For most of that time, I didn’t have a book to sell, so it was a made-up scenario based on work I hadn’t done and abilities I didn’t yet possess.

It took a long time to do the things I had to do to get that call, and when the call came, it was everything I’d dreamed of and more. And my real-life reaction wasn’t far off the mark.

But then what? I did have some minor imaginings of walking into a bookstore or a supermarket and seeing my books on display, but those pictures weren’t concrete and really didn’t have as much emotional pull as that initial acceptance. If I could just get that call, I’d be on my way.

Now I’m on the other side of that enormous moment. What I didn’t expect, was all the other huge moments that would follow. It seems every new thing sends me into an emotional tailspin of excitement, joy, and disbelief that this is really happening.

The first book hasn’t even released yet, so the ride isn’t anywhere near over. Frankly, I’m not sure it ever will be. But so far, there have been an incredible number of firsts that were stunning in their emotional impact on me. These are things I didn’t know to imagine, moments I didn’t know to dream. People don’t talk much about most of them, probably because they don’t think anybody could possibly care as much as they did when the events happened.

But I’m new at this. I want to write it down so I don’t forget. And for anybody about to take that first step, who’s waiting for the call to come, I want you to know it’s the beginning of the dream, not the end. Here are some of those unexpected moments filled with dazzling, unexpected delight:

First contact with my editor, Alison–the person who pulled my work out of the slushpile and loved it enough to speak up for it. And finding out she’s amazing.
Getting an actual contract to sign.
Signing the contract. (Seriously. As I signed it, I felt like there should’ve been a balloon drop to signify the importance.)
The moment I handed the package with the contract in it over to the guy in the UPS store. (I wanted to hug him.)
Getting the first edit notes and finding out they weren’t so bad, the book really would be elevated to a higher level after the work was done, and most of all, Alison truly understood what I was trying to do with the book.
Getting a new title and realizing it’s far better than what I originally had.
Finishing the edits and knowing, for better or worse, it’s out of my hands.
Getting the second book accepted so fast I didn’t even realize it was official.
Receiving the back cover copy–words written by somebody else for my book.
And today, seeing the concept art for my cover. I can’t show it to you, because it’s not done or official. But I love it. My name is on it. My characters, people I invented, were made real. And there’s a toilet brush on it.

Every single step of the way has been huge. And every step that’s coming will be equally so.

If you’re a beginning writer, know that all these seemingly small things will be amazing when you get to them. Even if you’re not a writer, look for the small things in your life that make a huge impact on you emotionally.

Savor those moments. Remember them. And then make more.