Jamie Thornton's Blog, page 7
October 1, 2014
Delta Bike Tour 1 – Day 1
This is the second post in a new series that explores some of my research and adventures while writing A Feast of Weeds, a post-apocalyptic adventure trilogy.
On the first day of this delta tour, we biked over 50 miles. Beautiful weather, deserted roads, a friendly encounter with a local folk band. Part research, part adventure. I spent the day imagining what it might feel like to find the whole world big and empty.
The slough roads were narrow, barely wider than one car, but so empty, it often felt more like a dedicated bike trail than a road for cars. Some of the sloughs sported a layer of neon green, red, or yellow algae, depending I think on the type of chemical runoff from the vineyards (a slough is a type of creek, usually slow-moving, swampy, marshy).
On the turn off for Grand Island Mansion we passed another group of bicyclists on their way to Berkeley, CA with their instruments strapped on their backs and on bike trailers. The Cracker Family Circus had also started their trek in Sacramento and were headed to Berkeley to play a show. They’re all about lowering their carbon footprint while playing punk blues. We compared maps and miles traveled, like any good cyclist would do, and then headed onwards.
The biggest surprise for me were the two ferry crossings. They run almost continuously across two sloughs–there to help the random passer-by cross the delta’s vast network of roads, islands, and swamps. No fee, no hassle, we just waited for the next ferry and hopped on.
While being in the saddle for that many miles didn’t feel so great, the day’s worth of sights and friendly people made up for it. It was a nice, easy ride with great views, beautiful skies, flat roads, and a countryside almost empty of people.
Of course, that’s not quite how Corrina, Gabbi, and Maibe find things in A Feast of Weeds. In fact, these heroines would each argue that the world is still too full of people after everything falls apart–capture and torture and terrible experiments will do that to a girl.
Igneous Books is publishing A Feast of Weeds in late Spring 2015. I’ll be sending updates, sneak peeks, and advance reader copies through my email list. I hope you decide to Join the Adventure and further explore how this delta bike tour informed the trilogy.
The beginning in West Sacramento.
An apostrophe catastrophe.
We really felt like we were getting deep into the back roads of the delta when this sign came along. It reminded me, rather ominously, of the districts in Hunger Games.
A cute little house turned town library.
The black and white filter makes this sign look that much more ominous, doesn’t’ it?
My husband reenacting the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz.
I had no idea the delta sloughs had ferry crossings. We rode two of them!
The turn off before Grand Isle Mansion.
Almost half of our trip took place on empty levee roads with vineyards and old victorian era houses.
Personal decoration touches seen on the ferry
First ferry encounter
Delta Bike Tour #1 – Day 1
This is the second post in a new series that explores some of my research and adventures while writing A Feast of Weeds, a post-apocalyptic adventure trilogy.
On the first day of this delta tour, we biked over 50 miles. Beautiful weather, deserted roads, a friendly encounter with a local folk band. Part research, part adventure. I spent the day imagining what it might feel like to find the whole world big and empty.
The slough roads were narrow, barely wider than one car, but so empty, it often felt more like a dedicated bike trail than a road for cars. Some of the sloughs sported a layer of neon green, red, or yellow algae, depending I think on the type of chemical runoff from the vineyards (a slough is a type of creek, usually slow-moving, swampy, marshy).
On the turn off for Grand Island Mansion we passed another group of bicyclists on their way to Berkeley, CA with their instruments strapped on their backs and on bike trailers. The Cracker Family Circus had also started their trek in Sacramento and were headed to Berkeley to play a show. They’re all about lowering their carbon footprint while playing punk blues. We compared maps and miles traveled, like any good cyclist would do, and then headed onwards.
The biggest surprise for me were the two ferry crossings. They run almost continuously across two sloughs–there to help the random passer-by cross the delta’s vast network of roads, islands, and swamps. No fee, no hassle, we just waited for the next ferry and hopped on.
While being in the saddle for that many miles didn’t feel so great, the day’s worth of sights and friendly people made up for it. It was a nice, easy ride with great views, beautiful skies, flat roads, and a countryside almost empty of people.
Of course, that’s not quite how Corrina, Gabbi, and Maibe find things in A Feast of Weeds. In fact, these heroines would each argue that the world is still too full of people after everything falls apart–capture and torture and terrible experiments will do that to a girl.
Igneous Books is publishing A Feast of Weeds in late Spring 2015. I’ll be sending updates, sneak peeks, and advance reader copies through my email list. I hope you decide to Join the Adventure and further explore how this delta bike tour informed the trilogy.
The beginning in West Sacramento.
An apostrophe catastrophe.
We really felt like we were getting deep into the back roads of the delta when this sign came along. It reminded me, rather ominously, of the districts in Hunger Games.
A cute little house turned town library.
The black and white filter makes this sign look that much more ominous, doesn’t’ it?
My husband reenacting the Wicked Witch from Wizard of Oz.
I had no idea the delta sloughs had ferry crossings. We rode two of them!
The turn off before Grand Isle Mansion.
Almost half of our trip took place on empty levee roads with vineyards and old victorian era houses.
Personal decoration touches seen on the ferry
First ferry encounter
September 21, 2014
The Fog of Weeds, Part 2
To celebrate the official start of fall here in Northern California regardless of how hot today gets, I decided to post more of the fog pictures I’ve taken that helped inspire A Feast of Weeds: Book #1.
I’ve posted before about the importance of setting and weather in my stories. In future posts I’ll share inspiration for the settings of the other two books in A Feast of Weeds. In the meantime, feel free to pin or save these pics for your own personal use.
Join the Adventure to receive updates on the Spring 2015 release of A Feast of Weeds. I’ll be offering several free stories, sneak peaks, and discounts exclusive to the newsletter.
A spooky break in the trees
Majestic oak falling over the trail
Bending oaks over of the foggy trail
Trail disappearing into the fog
A curve in the trail
Lush green, oak trees, fog
A man wandering the trail on a foggy day
An open field, rusting machinery, fog
A portal winding through the lush grass and fog
Another view of the trail portal and oak tree
A curling oak tree sheltering the trail in the fog
A dark path winding around an old oak
Fading fog as a man walks the trail under majestic oaks
Majestic oak, winding trail, last of the fog
September 10, 2014
The Fog of Weeds
Setting often plays a key role in my stories–I find it critical to a character’s state of mind. Weather also plays an important role in how both the reader and character experience setting. In A Feast of Weeds: Book #1, Corrina experiences the end of the world during a Northern California winter. In this city along the river, winter means fog. A thick, suffocating, blanket of fog, which pretty much represents how Corrina feels when her world falls apart, armed soldiers capture her husband, she’s betrayed, infected, almost killed–and that’s just the first couple of chapters.
These are some of the fog pictures I’ve taken that helped inspire my settings in Book #1 (the man in a few of the pics is my husband–I told him to act scary):
Join the Adventure to receive updates on the Spring 2015 release of A Feast of Weeds. I’ll be offering several free stories, sneak peaks, and discounts exclusive to the newsletter.
September 6, 2014
Delta Bike Tour 1 – The Maps
This is the first post in a new series that explores some of my research and adventures while writing A Feast of Weeds, a post-apocalyptic adventure trilogy.
When violence erupts in Corrina’s neighborhood, Corrina and Dylan must flee. But then Dylan is captured and when Corrina attempts a rescue, she’s infected with a virus that messes with her memories—like PTSD and seeing ghosts, all-in-one. Suddenly she can’t be sure what’s real and what’s the virus and whether she’s still human. Troubles ensue, betrayals mount, people die. Corrina will do anything to save Dylan, even kill. And that’s just A Feast of Weeds: Book #1.
I had so much fun writing this series.
My characters in A Feast of Weeds eventually spend a lot of time on their bicycles. When the world falls apart, vehicles choke the freeways, and neighborhoods burn, bicycles might just be the most reliable way to get out of town. I went on two road bike tours with my husband over the past year to get a feel for what my characters might go through on the trail.
We started this first Delta Bike Tour in West Sacramento. We biked for two days; an out-and-back trip. The first day was about 55 miles, the second day was about 45 miles. We stayed the night in Rio Vista. I’ve included Google Maps of our route as well as some highlight pictures below. The posts in the rest of this series will share details about the route, the curious and beautiful sights along the way, and what all of that did to my imagination.
Igneous Books is publishing A Feast of Weeds in late Spring 2015. I’ll be sending updates, sneak peeks, and advance reader copies through my email list. I hope you decide to Join the Adventure and further explore how this delta bike tour informed the trilogy.
Day #1 Map – from West Sacramento to Rio Vista
Day #2 Map – from Rio Vista to West Sacramento
Delta Bike Tour #1 – The Maps
This is the first post in a new series that explores some of my research and adventures while writing A Feast of Weeds, a post-apocalyptic adventure trilogy.
When violence erupts in Corrina’s neighborhood, Corrina and Dylan must flee. But then Dylan is captured and when Corrina attempts a rescue, she’s infected with a virus that messes with her memories—like PTSD and seeing ghosts, all-in-one. Suddenly she can’t be sure what’s real and what’s the virus and whether she’s still human. Troubles ensue, betrayals mount, people die. Corrina will do anything to save Dylan, even kill. And that’s just A Feast of Weeds: Book #1.
I had so much fun writing this series.
My characters in A Feast of Weeds eventually spend a lot of time on their bicycles. When the world falls apart, vehicles choke the freeways, and neighborhoods burn, bicycles might just be the most reliable way to get out of town. I went on two road bike tours with my husband over the past year to get a feel for what my characters might go through on the trail.
We started this first Delta Bike Tour in West Sacramento. We biked for two days; an out-and-back trip. The first day was about 55 miles, the second day was about 45 miles. We stayed the night in Rio Vista. I’ve included Google Maps of our route as well as some highlight pictures below. The posts in the rest of this series will share details about the route, the curious and beautiful sights along the way, and what all of that did to my imagination.
Igneous Books is publishing A Feast of Weeds in late Spring 2015. I’ll be sending updates, sneak peeks, and advance reader copies through my email list. I hope you decide to Join the Adventure and further explore how this delta bike tour informed the trilogy.
Day #1 Map – from West Sacramento to Rio Vista
Day #2 Map – from Rio Vista to West Sacramento
March 31, 2014
Cloud weather
We’ve experienced three days in a row of fabulous clouds here in Northern CA. A wide range of weather too: thunderstorms, a tornado, sunny and warm.
Sunset during a break in the storm. March 31, 2014.
Find the other cloud days on my fledgling Instagram account at http://instagram.com/thetinmoonjar
March 17, 2014
eBookSoda recommends Rhinoceros Summer
Rhinoceros Summer is being featured on Tuesday, March 18th 2014 at eBookSoda, a new readers’ site where they’ll send you ebook recommendations tailored to your taste. Beware they do make you submit your email before you can view the deals.
Also coming soon: Lots of people have asked me about the research behind Rhinoceros Summer. Look for a series of upcoming blog posts that will describe some of the behind-the-scenes work that went into the book!
December 29, 2013
Why I Decided to Give My Book Away for Free
To celebrate the new year and the worldwide release of my debut novel, Rhinoceros Summer, I am giving away the ebook for the first few weeks of 2014!
I had so much fun writing Rhinoceros Summer. I like to write stories I would love to read: coming of age, adventure, danger, a little romance, culture clashes, social commentary, high stakes. But over 3500 new books are published every day in the United States. That’s a lot of books for any reader to wade through, notice mine, and then decide to take a chance on it.
An important way for a book to get noticed by new readers is through honest reviews–posted by other readers like you. That’s where Story Cartel comes in. It’s a new way for readers to connect with authors. Every book on Story Cartel is free for a limited time and readers support the book by leaving honest reviews.
I won’t be giving away Rhinoceros Summer forever, but I do want to show my appreciation to all the readers out there willing to take a chance on a new author, so if you participate in this giveaway and leave a review, you’ll also be entered to win three $10 Amazon gift cards.
Visit Rhinoceros Summer on Story Cartel to participate in this giveaway, and thanks for reading!
December 14, 2013
Underground Book Reviews
Underground Book Reviews is featuring Rhinoceros Summer as a Pitch Perfect Pick this week!
According to their guidelines, A Pitch Perfect pick is chosen on the basis of originality and professional appearance. Check it out!
Rhinoceros Summer – Pitch Perfect Pick
