Aminah Iman's Blog - Posts Tagged "blogs"
Writing together works... Or something like that.
Hello Loves, welcome to this week’s Inside the Nations blog. As most of you know we at RedInk Pub are all coming together to write a book, Order From Chaos. This wonderful compilation has several heroes and villains from the RedInk universe and we are so excited to share it with you. Believe it or not, that isn’t what this blog is about. It’s about working with other authors on the same project. There are a lot of pros and cons to doing a project with other great writers that you love and respect and I will try to hit the ones nearest and dearest to me.
Let’s list the pros first shall we. One of my favorite things about working with my fellow ‘Queens of Horror’ is coming up with the concept of the book. When Omega first came to me with the idea I thought she was insane. We all have different writing styles, our characters are so different, etc. But after I stopped shooting it down long enough for her to actually tell me about it, I realized she was right. The concept was amazing! Once we ran it past the other girls, everyone agreed. We talked about it, tweaked it, and came up with something truly epic.
The other awesome thing about writing a compilation book is having other writers on the ready to bounce things off of. If you are in a rut and don’t know quite where to go, the others can pitch in and help out. This particular project has a lot of character change where I may have to write for Jaqueline’s character or Neffi may have to write for Omega’s, but we are always ready to lend a hand or a voice.
My most favorite part of working on this project with my girls is reading what they write immediately after it is written. You can’t get much better than that. To read some of your favorite authors work while they are writing it is an amazing thing!
Now, the cons… Not that there are many, but there are a few. One of my least fav things is waiting for another person to finish their respective chapter. I may have an idea for Micha or Sari, but Liam’s chapter isn’t finished yet and I can’t move on until it is. This doesn’t happen much in our case, but when it does you can literally see the flames coming out of my ears.
On the flip side of that, say you are chugging along with your chapter and another author calls and asks if you’re done yet. ‘Have I sent it to you…’ is the response I want to say, but you can’t because they are simply asking if it’s their turn yet. Patience is definitely a virtue.
Another con is agreeing on how a chapter should go. Everyone has their own ideas and styles of writing so you may not see eye to eye. I may want a battle scene in chapter five, but Neffi thinks it’s a bad idea… Who’s right?
The point is, if you decide to write a book with other authors there will be ups and downs, but if you want it to work you will take the good with the bad. It boils down to compromising and doing what is best for the book. I hope this helped and as always, I wish you Happy Reading!
Let’s list the pros first shall we. One of my favorite things about working with my fellow ‘Queens of Horror’ is coming up with the concept of the book. When Omega first came to me with the idea I thought she was insane. We all have different writing styles, our characters are so different, etc. But after I stopped shooting it down long enough for her to actually tell me about it, I realized she was right. The concept was amazing! Once we ran it past the other girls, everyone agreed. We talked about it, tweaked it, and came up with something truly epic.
The other awesome thing about writing a compilation book is having other writers on the ready to bounce things off of. If you are in a rut and don’t know quite where to go, the others can pitch in and help out. This particular project has a lot of character change where I may have to write for Jaqueline’s character or Neffi may have to write for Omega’s, but we are always ready to lend a hand or a voice.
My most favorite part of working on this project with my girls is reading what they write immediately after it is written. You can’t get much better than that. To read some of your favorite authors work while they are writing it is an amazing thing!
Now, the cons… Not that there are many, but there are a few. One of my least fav things is waiting for another person to finish their respective chapter. I may have an idea for Micha or Sari, but Liam’s chapter isn’t finished yet and I can’t move on until it is. This doesn’t happen much in our case, but when it does you can literally see the flames coming out of my ears.
On the flip side of that, say you are chugging along with your chapter and another author calls and asks if you’re done yet. ‘Have I sent it to you…’ is the response I want to say, but you can’t because they are simply asking if it’s their turn yet. Patience is definitely a virtue.
Another con is agreeing on how a chapter should go. Everyone has their own ideas and styles of writing so you may not see eye to eye. I may want a battle scene in chapter five, but Neffi thinks it’s a bad idea… Who’s right?
The point is, if you decide to write a book with other authors there will be ups and downs, but if you want it to work you will take the good with the bad. It boils down to compromising and doing what is best for the book. I hope this helped and as always, I wish you Happy Reading!
An interview with a Queen of Horror... Or something like that.
Hello Loves, back in May I had the pleasure of being interviewed by the amazing David Ellis. I was re-reading it today and thought you all might enjoy it as much as I did.
Here we go:
TooFullToWrite / May 17, 2017
Hey there everyone.
My very good friend and author Aminah Iman has released a new book in her “The Chronicles of Sari” series.
I originally did an Author Interview with Aminah at the end of last year, which you can find here that covers all of her other previous releases:-
Author Interview – Aminah Iman – The Vamperial Series, The 30 Pieces of Silver Series, Were: Chronicles of Sari X and Black Magick – The 3 Trilogy
I therefore thought this would be an excellent opportunity to ask her some detailed questions specifically about her new release “In Between – The Chronicles of Sari” and Aminah has kindly given us another interview to savour below, so here we go 🙂
Hi there Aminah, fantastic to have you back here with us again to chat about your latest book release in your Supernatural “Sari” series.
Hello David, thanks for having me.
Where does this book sit chronologically, in relation to your previous “Chronicles of Sari” novels “Were” and “Reaper”?
In Between: The Chronicles of Sari comes right after The Chronicles of The Three which is a crossover book of The Chronicles of Sari and The Three Trilogy. All of the Chronicles of Sari books will be written in chronological order.
Why is your latest book in the series called “In Between”, what is the relevance to the story/series itself?
Well, Sari is going up against a Djinn. A Djinn is a supernatural creature, that once it touches its victim, has the ability to put them in a fantasy dream-like state while it sucks the life right out of him/her. Since the victim is in a state between reality and fantasy I thought the title “In Between” would be most fitting.
Who are the key players/lead protagonists and antagonists that pop up alongside Sari and Dominic in this particular adventure?
Aside from Sari and Dominic, they have Lillian (Sari’s mother), Nick (Sari’s Were-panther beta), Manny and Selene (who are also members of Sari’s Were-panther pack). The most surprising protagonist to show up is Alaric, who is Sari’s dad that died before she was born. The biggest antagonist is the Djinn of course, but once Sari is in the ‘In Between’ she also has to fight a few villains in there as well.
What is the story about regarding the conflict that needs to be resolved by the characters and what are the stakes for them this time round?
The biggest conflict is for Sari to fight her way out of the fantasy while her team is on the outside trying to get her out. The problem, however, is that Sari has everything she’s ever wanted in this perfect fantasy world. She finally gets to be with her father, there are no monsters, and she still has the people that mean the most to her right there, so why leave. If she doesn’t fight to get out, if she chooses to stay there, she dies and she doesn’t have a lot of time to make her decision.
How did the idea for this tale take shape? Is it a natural progression from the previous books in the series or are you taking the series down another different path entirely?
I got the idea to write this book from a conversation Omega and I had. We were discussing our biggest fears and mine is losing my mind and/or my grip on reality. I just can’t imagine not being in control of my thoughts, how my life went, etc. I am also the type of person who likes to face my fears and seeing as out of all my characters, Sari is the most like me, I had to write a book where she was not in total control of her surroundings. This book follows the series natural progression in the sense that Sari has to defeat a supernatural being that is killing innocent people. It does veer off a bit because this time Sari is the main victim, it’s her life she must save. So, it is a challenge for her.
Did you do any specific research for this novel that differed from your previous ones in the series or the other novels that you have written?
Not so much in how I did the research, which I love by the way. I did have to do extensive research on the djinn. There are several different lores’s from around the world on djinns so I had to gather as much as I could before deciding which avenue to take.
When you have done research for your books, is there anything that has surprised you or completely changed your world view after doing so?
Just the knowledge that is out there. There is so much more than what you would assume, so many different etymologies from all over the world about the same subject. If you are willing to do the leg work, the knowledge is endless.
What aspects of your characters in this book would you say that you relate to on a personal level?
Great question! I would have to say Sari’s reaction to finally realizing that she was in a fantasy world. She has these flashes throughout the book that constantly confuse her and make her a bit angry, but when she finally acknowledges that she shouldn’t be there, that she has to let it go… I could relate to her on so many levels at that point.
What were the hardest parts of this book to write? And what were the easiest?
The book, as a whole, was pretty hard because as I stated before, I had to face some fears of my own while writing it. It was hard to write such a strong character doubting herself and feeling vulnerable. I had to put her in a role that was so uncomfortable for her. The easiest part to write was the ending, seeing her core group fight to get her out, knowing that they would stop at nothing until she was free.
Finally, regarding your subsequent projects, will you be writing another sequel to the “Sari” series or do you have other plans in the pipeline?
The Chronicles of Sari will be an ongoing series for me, I don’t see her ending for a very long time, but my next book, due out in August, is not a Sari project. It’s called “Catch Me” and it is about a female assassin who works for, what she assumed was, a secret government agency. She later discovers that they are in fact the bad guys and she goes after them after they kill her husband and son. I am really excited about this one!
And once again, that’s a wrap! Thank you for being here Aminah, your series keeps moving for strength to strength, we can’t wait to see more of it 🙂
Thank you so much David. I had a great time!
I had such a great time during this interview. If you all want to read more interviews by David or to check out his other works, go to http://toofulltowrite.com
Here we go:
TooFullToWrite / May 17, 2017
Hey there everyone.
My very good friend and author Aminah Iman has released a new book in her “The Chronicles of Sari” series.
I originally did an Author Interview with Aminah at the end of last year, which you can find here that covers all of her other previous releases:-
Author Interview – Aminah Iman – The Vamperial Series, The 30 Pieces of Silver Series, Were: Chronicles of Sari X and Black Magick – The 3 Trilogy
I therefore thought this would be an excellent opportunity to ask her some detailed questions specifically about her new release “In Between – The Chronicles of Sari” and Aminah has kindly given us another interview to savour below, so here we go 🙂
Hi there Aminah, fantastic to have you back here with us again to chat about your latest book release in your Supernatural “Sari” series.
Hello David, thanks for having me.
Where does this book sit chronologically, in relation to your previous “Chronicles of Sari” novels “Were” and “Reaper”?
In Between: The Chronicles of Sari comes right after The Chronicles of The Three which is a crossover book of The Chronicles of Sari and The Three Trilogy. All of the Chronicles of Sari books will be written in chronological order.
Why is your latest book in the series called “In Between”, what is the relevance to the story/series itself?
Well, Sari is going up against a Djinn. A Djinn is a supernatural creature, that once it touches its victim, has the ability to put them in a fantasy dream-like state while it sucks the life right out of him/her. Since the victim is in a state between reality and fantasy I thought the title “In Between” would be most fitting.
Who are the key players/lead protagonists and antagonists that pop up alongside Sari and Dominic in this particular adventure?
Aside from Sari and Dominic, they have Lillian (Sari’s mother), Nick (Sari’s Were-panther beta), Manny and Selene (who are also members of Sari’s Were-panther pack). The most surprising protagonist to show up is Alaric, who is Sari’s dad that died before she was born. The biggest antagonist is the Djinn of course, but once Sari is in the ‘In Between’ she also has to fight a few villains in there as well.
What is the story about regarding the conflict that needs to be resolved by the characters and what are the stakes for them this time round?
The biggest conflict is for Sari to fight her way out of the fantasy while her team is on the outside trying to get her out. The problem, however, is that Sari has everything she’s ever wanted in this perfect fantasy world. She finally gets to be with her father, there are no monsters, and she still has the people that mean the most to her right there, so why leave. If she doesn’t fight to get out, if she chooses to stay there, she dies and she doesn’t have a lot of time to make her decision.
How did the idea for this tale take shape? Is it a natural progression from the previous books in the series or are you taking the series down another different path entirely?
I got the idea to write this book from a conversation Omega and I had. We were discussing our biggest fears and mine is losing my mind and/or my grip on reality. I just can’t imagine not being in control of my thoughts, how my life went, etc. I am also the type of person who likes to face my fears and seeing as out of all my characters, Sari is the most like me, I had to write a book where she was not in total control of her surroundings. This book follows the series natural progression in the sense that Sari has to defeat a supernatural being that is killing innocent people. It does veer off a bit because this time Sari is the main victim, it’s her life she must save. So, it is a challenge for her.
Did you do any specific research for this novel that differed from your previous ones in the series or the other novels that you have written?
Not so much in how I did the research, which I love by the way. I did have to do extensive research on the djinn. There are several different lores’s from around the world on djinns so I had to gather as much as I could before deciding which avenue to take.
When you have done research for your books, is there anything that has surprised you or completely changed your world view after doing so?
Just the knowledge that is out there. There is so much more than what you would assume, so many different etymologies from all over the world about the same subject. If you are willing to do the leg work, the knowledge is endless.
What aspects of your characters in this book would you say that you relate to on a personal level?
Great question! I would have to say Sari’s reaction to finally realizing that she was in a fantasy world. She has these flashes throughout the book that constantly confuse her and make her a bit angry, but when she finally acknowledges that she shouldn’t be there, that she has to let it go… I could relate to her on so many levels at that point.
What were the hardest parts of this book to write? And what were the easiest?
The book, as a whole, was pretty hard because as I stated before, I had to face some fears of my own while writing it. It was hard to write such a strong character doubting herself and feeling vulnerable. I had to put her in a role that was so uncomfortable for her. The easiest part to write was the ending, seeing her core group fight to get her out, knowing that they would stop at nothing until she was free.
Finally, regarding your subsequent projects, will you be writing another sequel to the “Sari” series or do you have other plans in the pipeline?
The Chronicles of Sari will be an ongoing series for me, I don’t see her ending for a very long time, but my next book, due out in August, is not a Sari project. It’s called “Catch Me” and it is about a female assassin who works for, what she assumed was, a secret government agency. She later discovers that they are in fact the bad guys and she goes after them after they kill her husband and son. I am really excited about this one!
And once again, that’s a wrap! Thank you for being here Aminah, your series keeps moving for strength to strength, we can’t wait to see more of it 🙂
Thank you so much David. I had a great time!
I had such a great time during this interview. If you all want to read more interviews by David or to check out his other works, go to http://toofulltowrite.com
Great minds do NOT write alike...
Hello, Loves and welcome to another Inside the Nation. Seeing as our 8-series cross-over book, Order From Chaos, is just weeks away, I thought I’d talk about the experience I had when it came to writing another person’s character. Let me be clear, we all wrote for our own character in their individual chapters, but they had to interact with one another. So, if my character Sari and Omega’s character Liam were having a conversation I had to write for Liam if it was in my chapter… Get it? That happened more times than not and in the beginning, it was difficult. There was a lot of ‘Acaleus wouldn’t speak that way.’ Or, ‘Sari doesn’t dress like that.’ So, we had to change it. One good thing we did was go back and read all of the books included in this cross-over, it took a while, but we wanted all the main characters fresh in our minds as well as the villains they were facing. During this wonderful journey, I learned a few things.
One of the first things I learned was, although all of the ladies in Red Ink write about the supernatural, we all have very different writing styles. Let’s take my Sari, for example, she is crass and unpredictable, she has a big heart and a bigger mouth, and she is a great hunter, but she is vulnerable when it comes to her family. I write her extremely gritty and personable with a hint of insecurity. One the other hand Jacqueline’s Gabriel is an 18-year-old half demon and half angel with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He has a smart mouth and can be very aggravating, but his heart is golden. In my opinion, Jacqueline writes him perfect, me on the other hand, would probably write him too mature for his age, or too cocky. When it was my time to ‘speak’ for Gabriel, I had to do it in the manner in which Jacqueline would. You’re probably thinking that would be easy, but believe me, it isn’t. If you want to do it right, you have to write like the author.
Another thing I learned was every author has a signature style. Each and every one of us has something familiar in every one of our books. If you’ve read one of my books and turn around and read another, but my name isn’t on it, you’d think, ‘This reminds me of an Aminah Iman book’. With that being said, while writing this book, we had to stay true to each authors signature. I had to continuously remember that I had to write these characters the way their authors would, not how I would. It was challenging but well worth it.
We had so many obstacles in using 8 different series in this book. It was an idea that I was against in the beginning, but so glad I agreed to in the end. We clashed and complained, I probably yelled and screamed, but in the end, we came out Epic. I cannot wait for you all to read this on 10/31/17 but until then, as always, I wish you all Happy Reading.
One of the first things I learned was, although all of the ladies in Red Ink write about the supernatural, we all have very different writing styles. Let’s take my Sari, for example, she is crass and unpredictable, she has a big heart and a bigger mouth, and she is a great hunter, but she is vulnerable when it comes to her family. I write her extremely gritty and personable with a hint of insecurity. One the other hand Jacqueline’s Gabriel is an 18-year-old half demon and half angel with the weight of the world on his shoulders. He has a smart mouth and can be very aggravating, but his heart is golden. In my opinion, Jacqueline writes him perfect, me on the other hand, would probably write him too mature for his age, or too cocky. When it was my time to ‘speak’ for Gabriel, I had to do it in the manner in which Jacqueline would. You’re probably thinking that would be easy, but believe me, it isn’t. If you want to do it right, you have to write like the author.
Another thing I learned was every author has a signature style. Each and every one of us has something familiar in every one of our books. If you’ve read one of my books and turn around and read another, but my name isn’t on it, you’d think, ‘This reminds me of an Aminah Iman book’. With that being said, while writing this book, we had to stay true to each authors signature. I had to continuously remember that I had to write these characters the way their authors would, not how I would. It was challenging but well worth it.
We had so many obstacles in using 8 different series in this book. It was an idea that I was against in the beginning, but so glad I agreed to in the end. We clashed and complained, I probably yelled and screamed, but in the end, we came out Epic. I cannot wait for you all to read this on 10/31/17 but until then, as always, I wish you all Happy Reading.
