Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 36

Best Friends

Halloween night is a great time for parties. Three friends claim they’re the best at it. No night of fun is off limits for them, at least they thought so until they attend an underground exclusive gathering.

Best Friends is October’s flash fiction that’ll bring readers into a strange drama between three friends. Experience the story in written word, audio, artwork and soundscape.

Best Friends

Pre-Drink

We got our masks, accessories and outfits together and headed to the front door. Our group was ready to head out for a night of debauchery and chaos. A couple of my friends stuffed the bottles of vodka and gin into plastic bags, carefully trying to not make them clang.

It took us an abnormal, additional ten minutes or so to get our shoes on as we swayed side to side, trying to keep our balance up. The pre-drinking can get a little carried away when the three of us get together. Drinking was part of the fun. It was also a bonus that it was the end of October, Halloween season was our favourite time of the year.

“You think Brandon is going to be there?” said a black-haired girl in a grey alien mask. She was better known as Emma, my friend, than a grey-alien-mask girl.

I slipped my boots on and adjusted my plastic skeleton mask, shrugging at her.

“Why does it matter?” asked the second guy. His blue eyes stared at us underneath the rubber mask of a man with a crown. He carefully stood upwards as the polyester material of his king outfit stretched tight against his skin. Working out sure made you look good, but it also made fitting into costumes or fashionable clothing difficult.

Emma pulled out her vape and turned it on, saying, “I was just curious that is all.”

“It’s just because she is looking to bone him,” I said while grabbing the plastic bag of booze off the ground.

“And what if I was?” Emma asked.

“Go for it,” I said. “Just explaining it to Nick because he has had a crush on you for years.”

“Dude, shut up. I haven’t.” Nick said while scratching the back of his neck.

“Oh, Nick.” Emma rolled her eyes as I unlocked the front door and stepped out. Emma and Nick followed right behind me.

I nudged Emma’s arm, saying “unlike Nick, I actually want to chance my luck with an actual girl.”

“Sometimes you’re so stupid,” Emma said. “Where is this place anyway?”

It was a pretty rude thing of me to say, but I had to give her a hard time and lighten the mood. I couldn’t stand the constant tension between Emma and Nick, why didn’t they just plow already and get it over with? We’ve all been friends since Junior High. We’re adults now, they can embrace adulthood.

Moving On

I pulled out my phone and accessed my ride-sharing app, typing in the address. “You know, I can’t say I have ever been to this party, but I hear it is pretty gnarly.”

“A club?” Nick asked.

“Oh,” I said. “No, it is a house party.”

“Really? A house party that takes tickets?” Nick said.

“It’s an exclusive mask-only party. From what I hear, it is one of the crazier ones that happens at this time of the year.”

“Well,” Emma said. “Keep in mind they haven’t partied with us yet.”

“Cheers to that,” I said.

“Why the masks?” Nick asked.

I shrugged, saying, “they like to keep things anonymous I guess. Glen gave me the invite this year,” I said. “Last year I couldn’t even grab a ticket before they sold out.”

After calling a car through the ride-share app, I stuffed the phone in my pocket as we took the elevator down to the main floor. The three of us waited out front of the apartment complex, staying huddled close to each other to avoid the winds. Even though it was still fall, the night temperature dropped intensely. That’s Canada’s weather for you.

Nick pulled out a flask from his back pocket and took a chug of liquor. He passed the container to each of us, and we had a shot of whiskey. That marked the fourth type of hard liquor I had had this evening.

A black car arrived with a glowing ride-sharing logo stuck to the windshield – our drive to the house party.

The three of us scooched into the back of the car with Nick and me on either side of Emma. I handed each of my friends their tickets, and we awaited our arrival. It didn’t take long for the driver to navigate us to the opposite end of town. The guy seemed to know the city well, taking side roads to cut through the traffic jams by. This man would get a decent tip for his skills.

Party Time

We arrived at an older, quiet neighbourhood that was primarily populated with war-time homes. Mostly single-levels and bungalows.

“Here you are,” said the ride-sharing driver in a thick eastern accent.

“Thanks,” I said as the three of us exited the car.

Nick spun around, looking at each house as our ride accelerated down the road. He scratched his head, saying, “which house is it?”

Emma pointed to the house directly in front of us. “See those lights?”

The house in front of us had a red glow inside, and it was the only house that had lights.

“That is a good indicator,” I said while marching up to the home.

The three of us hurried up to the front door, each of us adjusting our costumes before I pulled open the screen door and knocked on the entrance. A muffled bass rumbled from inside the house, chances were they didn’t hear the knock.

I reached for the knob as the door swung open and a man in a PVC mask and undies stood in front of me. His hairless form was highlighted from the red glow behind him.

“Hey,” I said while pulling out my ticket.

The man reached for my ticket, looked at it and then waved me in. I entered casually, trying to keep a calm appearance. The last thing I wanted to do was enter a party too abruptly, that doesn’t win you any cool points. Funny how we get fixated on convincing people we are cool. Sure helps if you’re trying to get your grind on.

My mask made it next to impossible to see anything in my peripheral view. I could make out the main lobby, a hall, and the living room to my right. The entry was jammed at every corner with guest attendees in wild costumes and masks. Some of the outfits were as minimal as the door greeter and others far more concealing. Each guest’s outfit followed some sort of dark, artistic or kink theme to them. The sight made me realize that my friends and I got the wrong idea when it came to a ‘mask-only’ party.

A hand gently brushed against my back, causing me to look back, expecting to see Emma. No. A girl in a black feathered bra, panties and masquerade mask released her hand from me as she walked passed, entering the hall.

Maybe we’re not so out of place as I thought, I thought while watching the girl’s exposed hips move side to side as she disappeared into the crowded hall.

A shoulder nudged my own. I turned to see Nick and Emma were now beside me.

“…is classy A.F,” Nick said. He was difficult to hear through the pounding bass, but I managed to catch his point.

Emma leaned into the two of us, saying, “we are so out of place.”

“That was my thought too,” I said. “But I am second guessing that.”

“Why?” Emma asked.

“Give me a shot of that whiskey,” I said.

Nick reached into his back pocket and handed me the flask.

I snagged it and took a chug of the liquor before passing it back to him. “I’ll be back, gotta catch a birdie.”

The Chase

“What?” Nick said.

I ignored his statement and hurried through the small hallway, carefully avoiding people, so I didn’t knock their drinks. My balance was slightly off centre, that shot of whiskey outside the apartment was beginning to kick in.

Keep it together, I thought while looking past all of the mysterious guests for the bird-feathered-girl again.

I spotted bobbing feathers a good couple meters ahead of me. She didn’t get too far. The girl continued to move through the hall, past the kitchen and down the staircase leading to the basement of the home. Not thinking twice, I followed her down the stairs. The basement had a blue glow to it and a new type of thumping bass music. This tune was faster, thicker and grimier.

The girl came to a stop near the center of the unfinished basement den. She began to dance to the music by waving her arms and shaking her rear to the rhythm. I’m not much of a dancer but seeing a girl who I like with moves like that is precisely what I need to encourage me.

I busted out my gnarliest moves and appeared in front of the girl. She didn’t seem surprised at all, it was as if she was expecting me.

My moves felt smooth as I swung to the tempo, in synch with her movements. I made sure I stayed close enough to her body to welcome her to me, but not too close that so we touched. Teasing was all part of the dance.

The girl spun around and danced facing away from me for a portion of the track. A couple of times she brushed against me with a playful smile until the DJ shifted the track to a new beat.

She turned to face me and lifted her hand, revealing a palm full of small pills. Truthfully, I couldn’t even guess where she concealed them with the little amount of clothing that she had.

“Want to have some fun?” she asked.

“I’m down,” I said without processing what she asked.

What am I doing? I thought as I grabbed one of her pills. She did the same, and we both popped them into our mouths.

Join in on the Fun

“Paul!” came a female voice.

A gray-alien-masked girl and a king appeared beside us.

“Hey, guys!” I said. Right on, it’ll look good to this gal if my friends talk me up, I thought.

Emma punched my shoulder and leaned into me. “What did you just take?”

“Just enjoying the party, relax!” I said. Leaning closer to her I added, “this girl is into me. Let’s keep this going.”

The bird-feathered-girl began to dance to the beat, keeping her hand holding the pills extended to the three of us.

I nodded at the pills, saying, “I thought you said this crowd hadn’t really partied until they partied with us?”

Emma stared at the pills for a moment before saying, “alright. You got me there.” She snagged one of the pills and popped it in her mouth.

“Woah!” Nick said while taking the last one for himself. “We’re really doing this huh?”

“Let’s party!’ I said while patting Nick on the back.

“Who’s your new friend by the way?” Emma asked.

I turned to face the bird-feathered-girl, saying, “oh, this is…”

“Victoria,” the girl said. “Come dance!” She said while moving back into the crowd.

The three of us didn’t question her and joined her. We weren’t exactly sure what we took, it could have been anything. MDMA? Acid? Who really knew? What we did know was that we were here for fun.

Usually, I had a good sense of my party supplies, but I didn’t realize when the pill began to kick in. The music amplified as the depth of the room drastically widened. My body heat intensified as other forms danced around me. The nearest body was lightly covered in feathers, second a man of royalty and a strange alien. There had to be more people that came into the lower floor because the four of us were brushed pretty close against one another. That was okay, I felt a deeper level of connection with them all.

The blue light from the ceiling brightened. Movements were fast. Colourful echoed versions of people’s bodies move with the music behind them. Skin and clothing felt welcoming. Smells were alluring. Sensations were overpowering. Body heat increased as limbs began to melt into one. How many of us were there?

Material slipped away until there was just skin. Only skin, panting, bodies against and inside one another with passionate grasps.

Was I sleeping? The drunken self I was seemed to no longer be. My sense of realism and dream have collided into this melting pot of sensation. Whatever it was, it was bliss.

 

*             *             *

 

Aftermath

A bright white light beamed directly over me as my eyes slowly peeled open. A throbbing headache pulsated around my head, a typical hangover. My skin was quite warm, coated in dried sweat, abnormal. I felt numb, slightly depressed and out of energy, very unusual for a night of drinking.

Sitting upright, a small hand glided off my chest and on my thigh. I didn’t even notice the arm before because it was as warm as me. Looking to the side, I saw a naked girl beside me. Her black hair was spread all over the sheets. A grey alien mask was beside her.

Oh shit, I thought while scooching away from her. My movements made me realize I was also completely naked. Did Emma and I just…?

As I backed up, my butt pressed against firm skin. The sudden touch caused me to jump. I turned around to see a well-built man wearing a rubber mask of a bearded man with a crown, unmistakably Nick, who was also as naked as Emma and I.

“Oh God,” I groaned while brushing my hair from my face. The skeleton mask I had was completely gone. That mattered little to me as I began to piece together what the three of us had done.

Glancing around the room I spotted the windows were high above, indicating we were still in the basement. This had to be a guest room or something. The door was closed, our clothes were spread over the floor, and the bird-feathered-girl was nowhere to be seen. It was only the three of us. We were childhood friends, now grownups, experiencing adulthood.

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How to Craft a First Chapter

By J.J. Reichenbach

As an editor, I read a lot of first chapters and coach authors on what does and doesn’t need to be included in them. The rules vary a little bit depending on which genre you’re writing in (for example, literary works are allowed a much slower pace than would otherwise be acceptable, and fantasy grants more leeway when it comes to including exposition and worldbuilding than most genres), and which story structure you’ve chosen for your book (for example, crime fiction sometimes begins in the POV of the victim or the villain, not introducing the main character in the first chapter, while some books have multiple POVs that switch back and forth). But for the most part, the essence of first chapters remains the same. The following are some general guidelines for what your first chapter should and should not aim to include.

Hooks

All chapters should begin and end with a hook that makes them interesting and keeps a reader reading, but for the first chapter this is imperative. The first chapter (and particularly your first sentence, then your first paragraph, and your final paragraph, then final sentence) is your shot at capturing and keeping the attention of a potential agent, publisher, or reader. In a sense, your entire first chapter is a hook into your story, and it’s full of smaller hooks that catch readers and keep pulling them through the story along the way. That first line is the most important of all because if you don’t catch them there you won’t have a shot with the rest. Your first line has to be sharp, intriguing, and just odd enough to make the reader wonder what you’re on about and want to know more. It absolutely cannot contain any spelling or grammar errors, or clichés. This is good advice for the whole first chapter, by the way.

This first line leads your reader into the rest of your first paragraph if it has done its job, and your first paragraph will then have the same responsibility of leading the reader into the rest of the chapter. From there you’ve got more to work with and you’ve got the reader’s attention for a while—they trust you now, they’ll probably make it until the end of Chapter 1 so long as it isn’t too many pages (don’t tire them out, or you’ll lose them). Then you come to the last paragraph. The reader can see the end. They already have an idea as to whether or not they like the character and the premise so far but they’re still on the fence and you still have the chance to hook them into the rest of the book. The last paragraph has to go out with a bang. Set the reader up to crave Chapter 2—don’t let them put the book down, or you’ve lost them. Leave them salivating and with your final hook, that last line of Chapter 1, stick the landing and pull them into your next chapter. Never let them pause, blink, or hesitate. Make them flip that page and keep reading.

Your hook can make or break your chances of getting published. You absolutely must start strong and stick the landing with your opening chapter. Kill your darlings if you have to, but make it happen.

In Medias Res

Part of a great hook can include starting in medias res, which means “in the middle of things,” if this is what you feel works best for your story. Dropping your reader directly into the middle of the action of the story can be a great way to give them a fully immersive reading experience—a sink-or-swim shove off the edge of a dock—wherein they can quickly get to know the characters, the setting, and the basic premise with little to no exposition or hand-holding. This can be extremely effective if done well, but this doesn’t mean just dropping them into any action scene. You have to know exactly where your drop point needs to be, which leads us to the next part of a great hook…

Inciting Incident

Part of it is knowing when your story really starts. Your story really starts at your inciting incident, which is when whatever caused your Story Problem happened. If you identify your story problem (your main plot, or the major problem in your story that the Main Character has to solve), and identify the moment in time that it started, that’s your inciting incident and your ideal opening chapter would be to drop the reader right in the middle of that scene, that moment. Be careful not to go too far back here—it can be easy to say “Well, technically it started when Character A was born,” but that’s not usually the case. If you have, for example, an ancient amulet that is going to destroy the world if it falls into the wrong hands, we might think the inciting incident would be the forging of that amulet long before the MC was born, but that’s probably too far back. What we want is a scene where this problem first becomes relevant to the MC’s life, ideally (with the caveat that, yes, this is going to vary widely from story to story as each is unique), so in our example it’s probably going to be when our Archeologist MC discovers the amulet at a dig site and in that very moment is attacked by marauders and the amulet is stolen, starting the quest to get it back.

Exposition: Don’t Force-Feed Readers

To keep a chapter going and keep the reader reading, there has to be action in the chapter or scene—something has to be happening. If it’s too slow and there isn’t purpose behind it, especially in the beginning of a book, you’ve lost your audience (and if you’re looking for an agent, you’ve lost that chance). Anything that doesn’t move the plot forward actively needs to go. It’s unbelievable the difference it makes once you start cutting all the bloated writing that just doesn’t contribute to advancing your plot, or that’s really just exposition that should be worked in some other way.

Which leads to the major thing that Chapter 1 shouldn’t have too much of: exposition. As writers, we always assume that everyone wants or needs to know everything about the worlds we’ve created right at the start, but they don’t. I know, I know, it seems imperative, but hear me out. The readers don’t care. Not in Chapter 1. All of that information can be gradually sprinkled throughout the plot organically as it becomes relevant to the plot, and if possible you can show that information to the reader instead of telling it outright. It will be far more satisfying for the reader to learn a little bit at a time about the world rather than have it all at once—too much exposition is like sitting someone down and forcing them to eat an entire cake all at once; at first it’s okay but after a few bites it gets less and less appetizing and it just goes downhill from there. But if you draw that out in the form of more varied treats over the course of weeks (chapters), each bite is flavourful and delicious and they’ll crave more. So hold back on the exposition and backstory and trust the reader to figure it all out over the course of the story—give them a little bit at a time, and be especially sparing in Chapter 1 so they aren’t overwhelmed by it.

Other Responsibilities of Chapter 1:
Character

Beyond the obvious importance of the Hook, Chapter 1 is (usually) where your reader gets their first introduction to your main character, usually in some variation of that character’s Point of View. This is an important meeting, since first impressions are everything. Your MC is probably going to change and develop a lot over the course of the book, so who they are at the beginning won’t necessarily be representative of who they end up being, but the reader still has to want to spend the next 300 or so pages with this character. They have to care about this character enough to stick by them on their journey. This is not always an easy thing. Maybe your character is a jerk. Nothing wrong with that. Just be sure to give them some (any) trait that makes them in any way sympathetic or relatable, or even just interesting/entertaining enough for the reader to want to stick around and care what happens to them.

Worldbuilding/Setting

Chapter 1 isn’t a place to overdo worldbuilding or setting descriptions, as your main focus should be more on character and plot in most cases (with some exceptions made for fantasy as a genre), but you should definitely be starting to work some of your worldbuilding and setting into your first chapter, especially if it is really important to your story. The greater the importance, the more it should feature. Don’t fall into the trap of including too much worldbuilding-related exposition (like a 10,000 word dossier on the history of your kingdom which has no relevance whatsoever to your actual story plot), but do work it in organically where you can to give readers a sense of your world or of the setting in which your story takes place. It will make the story feel rich and vibrant, and the reading experience will be enhanced as a result.

Tone

Chapter 1 is also where you first establish the overall tone of your story. You tell your reader what they can expect from the rest of the book. Is it going to be funny? Dark? Gory? Romantic? As with genres, while you can do some genre-blending and that’s all well and good, you need to be up front about it. If you aren’t, your reader is going to feel misled and lied to. If they pick up what they think is a cozy romance and it turns out to be space opera sci-fi, they leave your book confused and frustrated. Similarly, if you establish a lighthearted tone in Chapter 1 but the rest of the book swings dramatically between dark and angsty to comedic to chipper to melodramatic, they are going to feel like they were misled by the book and they might worry for you personally. Establish the tone of your book in Chapter 1 and stay more or less within a reasonable range.

Stakes

It’s imperative in the first chapter that the reader not only cares about the main character and what happens to them (at least to some extent), but that the reader knows what the stakes are in the story. Now, this one can be a bit of a challenge, as you can have multiple levels of stakes (physical, life-or-death stakes, emotional, psychological, interpersonal/relationship, philosophical, etc.), and the stakes may either change as the story progresses or the character might not be fully aware of the stakes in the beginning. Nonetheless, readers should leave Chapter 1 with a rough idea about what the main story problem is and what the stakes are.

By stakes here, I mean:

The character has a problem.
The character has to make a choice in order to solve that problem.
There are consequences to either making or failing to make that choice.
What are those consequences? What’s at risk? Why should the reader be invested?

Here are some simple stakes scenarios:

Character A has to stop Character B from blowing up the world, but to do that Character A will have to leave her family forever and go to outer-space. Stakes: let the world be destroyed and die with her family, or save the world and lose her family.
Character A is engaged to Character B but is still in love with Character C. If he marries Character B, his family will be happy with him, but if he marries Character C he’ll be following his heart. Stakes: please family or follow his heart.

Conclusion

More than anything else, Chapter 1 is where your reader needs to get hooked into your story. However, Chapter 1 also has other responsibilities: an exciting introduction to the main character, reader’s find out what the main story problem is (or at least what the character’s problem starts out as) enough that they care about that problem getting resolved, worldbuilding and tone are established, and readers get a sense of what the stakes are (as in: the character has a problem, and there are consequences to succeeding or failing in solving that problem). Character, problem, and stakes need to be clear and riveting right in Chapter 1. That’s Chapter 1’s job. And of course, to get the reader wanting to read Chapter 2.

About the Author:

J.J. Reichenbach is a professional editor by day and a horror writer by night. J.J. lives just outside of Calgary, with two affectionate hellhounds and bookcases full of nightmares. She is an avid traveller and likes to spend time in Thailand as often as possible, where she writes and edits on the beach. She specializes in gothic and supernatural horror, thrillers, and suspense.

jjreichenbach.weebly.com
https://tmorganediting.weebly.com
https://www.facebook.com/jjreichenbachNIX/
https://twitter.com/jjreichenbach

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Author DIY Graphic Design – Typeface

Typefaces are a critical visual part of our work as writers. Open up any book, and you will see that the texts have varying weights, sizes and stylization from book to book. Choosing a typeface can change the entire mood of what you are representing.

Following the Author DIY Graphic Design series, we will now explore the wonderful world of typefaces.

Typeface Vs Font

These two terms are used interchangeably which isn’t the case. Typeface is what most people think a font is. For example, Arial is a typeface. Times New Roman is a typeface. Futura is a typeface. Fonts are the family within the typeface. If Arial is the typeface, Arial Bold, Arial Italic, Arial Black are the fonts.

Types of Typefaces

Now that we have clarified what the difference between typeface and font is, there is an even higher level of separation for typefaces. Typefaces fall under common categories as seen below.

Calligraphy

A hand-written or script-based typeface that is decorative. They aren’t commonly used for large bodies of content and serve as a stylistic approach due to its readability.

Sans Serif

A sans serif typeface is a typeface like Arial or Helvetica. The characters in the alphabet stand firm on their own.

Serif

Serif fonts have the small feet at the ends of the characters in the alphabet. The feet behave like subconscious bridges from one character to the other to allow us to read content faster.

Picking the Right Typeface

Knowing what typeface to use can be a challenge. Let’s say you are making a book cover, will you use all capitals, lowercase or formal English? Your choice will vary depending on your book’s genre, your target demographic and your own personal stylization. Thin fonts generally represent a more elegant visualization while heavier weighted fonts will be bolder and louder. If you’re using handwritten fonts, it can come across as more exquisite.

What do other authors do in your genre? Thriller covers often use a bold typeface for more impact. Romance or comedy novel covers tend to be more elegant with typeface choices. Knowing your genre will steer you to choosing the right typeface for your book cover.

Notice how different each of the examples look in the image below? All of them say “Your Brand” but vary significantly on appearance due to the choice of font and capitalization.

Anatomy of Type

We’ll only cover some basics you need to know for working with typefaces. The anatomy of type is an in-depth topic. Graphic designers specialize in typography and become what is known as typographers. There are plenty of books that dig into the details of type anatomy. For us, as authors, there are a few we should be wary of:

Kerning

This refers to space between to characters.

Leading

Leading references the spacing between two baselines. In other words, this is known as the line height. How far apart is each line of text in your novel?

Word Spacing

Word spacing is a lot like kerning but only applies to the space between words.

Each of the three pieces of anatomy mentioned help stylize your chosen typeface. Ever notice how poetry books tend to treat typefaces different than a genre novel? They use space quite strategically to express their words.

Know Your Project

Remember when I said we’d be chatting about projects a lot in this series? It’s because the context is critical. Your choice of typeface visually represents the words your book is wanting to portray.

Tips and Resources

There are plenty of sites that offer typefaces. Some are for a price and others are free. Some offer free for personal use but not commercial. Be sure to read the details before downloading a font.

Some sites worth reviewing for typefaces are fontsquirrel.com, dafont.com and typekit.com.

Headlines vs Content

Not sure what works for a typeface? A good rule of thumb is to use sans serif fonts as headlines and serif fonts for large bodies of content. As mentioned above, sans-serif fonts help guides the eye. Sans serifs fonts have each character be more prominent which works well for headlines (chapter titles or book titles).

eBooks vs. Print Books

Print books we can use any font imaginable. Of course, as long as the book is readable. eBooks are trickier because not all eReaders support different typefaces. eReaders have improved drastically over the years for typeface support but aren’t quite there yet. You will find you have less control over typefaces with eBooks and unfortunately it is the way the industry works.

Your Exercise

This is a two-part exercise.

Part one: Next time you’re in a bookstore, examine five different books from different genres and see how they handle typefaces on their covers and interior pages. Ask yourself, why did they choose these typefaces?

Part two: Remember that book cover we chatted about in the colour theory post? Time to pick the right typefaces for your project.

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Buckle Up

2018 Fall has arrived with a vengeance! Buckle up; we’re in for a ride. We got snow at the Edmonton Expo last weekend and went back up to plus double digits; this is Alberta. Regardless of the weather, the turnout was quite exceptional at the comic con and am pleased to see so many returning readers looking for the new Mental Damnation novel.

Let’s recap some of the Edmonton Expo, Purity launch, and what is next.

Welcome to another edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

Again, thank you to everyone for the support regarding Purity’s launch. It was the top seller at the Edmonton Comic Expo this year. Wow. A humbling experience for sure.

Edmonton Comic Expo 2018

This year at the Edmonton Comic Expo I was at the Artist Alley again, close to some author colleagues like Suzy Vadori, Erika Knudsen and Clare C. Marshall. There were many other great authors out and about the expo too like Adam Dreece, Vince Seim and I.B. to name a few.

Day One

The day before opening, we were able to set up as usual and be prepared for day one, Friday. There was a surprisingly low turnout on Friday but many enthusiastic people who arrived early to explore the vendors and attend the panel I attended with Erika Knudsen. This panel was titled “Inside the Minds of Horror.” Both of us come from very different horror backgrounds and writing processes which created some opposing views and engaging answers for the audience.

Day Two

Saturday, the big day. There were the major star attractions that every attendee wanted to have a photo with. I also had a second panel with Suzy Vadori and Adam Dreece titled “You finished your manuscript, now what?” which allowed us to share some helpful information with new or struggling writers.

Day Three

The last day of the expo was a much more relaxed day as there wasn’t any panel juggling. I stayed at the booth for the most part engaging with new readers and sharing insights into the new Purity novel.

All in all the expo was a delight and a major success. It would be up there with the Calgary Comic Expo earlier this year regarding sales and engagement. Thank you, everyone, who came by to say hi, it was a busy weekend and didn’t get a chance to see everyone!

The End

The Edmonton Comic Expo was the last expo for the year. I have one more book signing coming up on October 27th at Edmonton Strathcona Chapters. Be sure to drop by if you are in the area and want to snag a copy of Purity.

What’s Next? Well Buckle Up and Find Out

After the signing, it is straight up writing time! I am excited to say that I will be participating in NaNoWriMo this year. The last time I did was in 2015; it has been way overdue. This year’s project will be the Rutherford Manor novel. If you didn’t know, Rutherford Manor dropped their Kickstarter campaign as well for the original TV series. Lots of gears in the works with the Rutherford Manor crew, we’ll have more to share about the novel in the coming months.

Buckle Up; we’re in for a ride.

Beer Note: Dunham Hemen Eta Han

Dunham’s Hemen Han has some beautiful artwork on the front. I am a sucker for fun artwork on craft beer. The Quebec-based beer as a hint of blackberry underneath its light hoppy flavour that is enjoyable for one bottle. The 5.2% alcoholic beer comes in a 750 ML bottle with a fun custom illustration on the front. This way you have something interesting to stare at while you drown in the abyss of your deepest thoughts. All that aside, with my hoppy taste buds in mind; I’d give this a 3.8/5.

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Purity Signing at Chapters Strathcona

Head over to Strathcona Chapters for your copy of Mental Damnation: Purity!

Following the launch of Purity at the Edmonton Comic Expo, I’ll be heading over to Chapters Strathcona (Whyte Ave) for a signing of Purity. Drop in for a meet & greet the author, artwork, and of course, the books themselves.

When and Where:

Wednesday, October 27th from 12:00pm – 4:00pm

Chapters Strathcona

10504 82nd Avenue,

Edmonton, AlbertaT6E 2A4

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Eileen Cook, author of the thriller novel, The Hanging Girl

This month’s guest is Eileen Cook who is a multi-published author whose work has appeared in eight different languages. Her books have also been optioned for film and TV. When she is not writing, she is an instructor/mentor with the Simon Fraser University Writer’s Studio Program and The Creative Academy. She currently lives in Vancouver with her husband and two dogs.

Let’s welcome her to the blog!

Thank you, Eileen Cook, for joining us, can you give a brief introduction of yourself?

Hello! Thank you so much for having me on your blog. I’m a writer, writing mentor, knitter, dog lover, and possibly the most uncoordinated person you’ve ever met.  I’ve been writing since I was young. My parents had a homework assignment I did in second grade where the teacher wrote on it: I’m sure you’ll be a writer someday. This proves that teachers can inspire and may have psychic abilities. However, it still took me countless short stories, a period of really bad poetry, and several novels (not even counting those I started and never finished) before I would finally publish in 2008.

Tell us about your latest novel, The Hanging Girl, which was released in October 2017.

The Hanging Girl tells the story of Skye Thorn. She’s given tarot card readings for years in her small Michigan town squirreling away money in a hope to escape to NYC after graduation. When the town’s golden girl goes missing she tells the police about a psychic vision she’s had that helps with the investigation. It’s no challenge—her readings have always been faked, but this time she has some insider knowledge about the abduction. The kidnapping was supposed to be easy—no one would get hurt and she’d get the money she needs to start a new life. But a seemingly harmless prank has turned dark, and Skye realizes the people she’s involved with are willing to kill to get what they want, and she must discover their true identity before it’s too late.

You also have 12 other novels listed on your website, including With Malice, do you have works elsewhere as well?

My website lists all my books, but of course I have a current book on the go. It’s tentatively being called You Owe Me a Murder, which will be out in early 2019 (assuming all goes to plan!)

Most of the blog readers are writers, can you share a bit about your work being optioned for film and TV? How did this come to be?

I’m very fortunate to have an amazing agent in my corner, Barbara Poelle. The agency that she works for has a connection to a film agent. This person pitches our books to various people in the film and TV industry hoping to make a match. So far nothing that I’ve had optioned has made the final step to going into production- but this in no way stops me from planning to go full Hollywood with oversized sunglasses and a small dog in my purse. I’ve found even the option process to be fascinating.

If possible the film and TV world is even more random than publishing. I suspect it comes down to a matter of luck and being on the right person’s desk at the right moment. I don’t believe you can write with a goal of having your work adapted for the screen, but if it is a goal, it’s worthwhile to consider how difficult it would be to make your book into a screenplay which relies on dialogue and action versus a lot of internal thought.

You also offer other services such as speaking and mentorship, can you share about your services?

I may be one of the few people on the planet who doesn’t mind public speaking, which is odd given that by nature I’m a total introvert. I’ve been fortunate enough to speak at a number of conferences, schools and various writing workshops.

I love working with other writers to assist them in finding how to best tell their story. I started doing more formal mentorship of writers with Simon Fraser University’s: The Writer’s Studio. This is an online program that combines downloadable modules with bi-weekly workshops over ten months. I so enjoyed mentorship that I started The Creative Academy with two other writers. The Creative Academy combines workshops, office hours, and coaching. If you’re looking for more resources, pro-tips, tutorials, coaching and a thriving writing and publishing community, you can visit me at The Creative Academy. Our free resource room is a great starting place.

What’s next in your writing career now that The Hanging Girl is released?

I am one of those people who is the happiest when I have a project on the go. When I’m not writing I can feel myself starting to get weird. (Or perhaps getting weirder would be more accurate.)  As I mentioned above I am in the final stages of another YA thriller, You Owe Me a Murder, which is a bit of a retelling of Hitchcock/Highsmith’s tale Strangers on a Train.

In addition to that I’m working to create more content for The Creative Academy and I have an urge to write and adult thriller as well. I have an idea that is beginning to take shape, so I’ll be excited to see where that goes.

For aspiring writers, what would be one piece of advice you would give them?

I have so many thoughts on this! The first would be that there is no “right” way to write. New writers can be flooded with advice. They should feel free to pick and choose among what they hear to find what works for them. You don’t have to outline, or write in a particular way, or take any certain class/program in order to write. What I do believe is the most helpful is to read. Read a lot. Read not just for your own enjoyment, but also pay attention to how that writer crafted their tale, what choices they made in terms of structure and plot. I truly believe books are our best instructor.

Let’s thank Eileen Cook for joining us to talk about her writing!

You can find Eileen Cook’s work at the links below:

www.eileencook.com

Amazon

Barnes & Noble

Indigo

You can also follow online her at:

Facebook

Twitter

Instagram

Goodreads

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NaNoWriMo Plot Planning Panel

I am pleased to say I will by part of EdMoWriMos (NaNoWriMo Edmonton)’s panel titled “NaNoWriMo Plot Planning” at Happy Harbor Comics discussing plot planning.

Join us at Happy Harbor Comics as a panel of local authors discuss their tips and tricks for planning your novel.  There will be time for discussion and some plotting activities afterwards.

RSVP Here

Who: WriMos and NaNo adjacent folks

When: Saturday, October 20, 1:00 – 4:00 pm

Where: Happy Harbor Comics, 10729 104 Ave, NW

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Compatibility

The Earth has been hit by a doomsday asteroid, carrying civilization to the brink of extinction. As far as the two survivors know, they are the last of humankind, locked in a bunker below the sizzling surface.

Compatibility is September’s Flash Fiction that introduces readers into a post-apocalyptic sci-fi story that is a stand-alone sequel to Red Then White.

Compatibility

Dreaming of Memories

A blue ball remained stationary in front of a black matte paper. The sphere was painted in blue, green and white blotches to represent the ocean, land, and clouds. The black space around was covered in tiny white dotes – a simple representation of Earth from outers pace. The planet that everyone has called home. Calling another world home was a far-fetched concept. Space travel has always been a dream. The astronomical distance between other Earth-like planets is mind-boggling. Even the idea of lightyears is tough to grasp.

Scientists have many theories about how we can travel vast distances. Often these require technologies that have not developed. Basically, space travel is still a theory. There is also the possibility of the human race being wiped out before we even get to developing space travel technology. None of this changes the fact that we are fascinated by the stars.

A man leaned down to look at the model of Earth closer, inspecting the tiny moon that was attached to the planet by a wire. He eyed each of the major continents of Earth before letting out a sigh. He couldn’t help but wonder where did it all go wrong?

“You examine that every day,” said a cold feminine voice.

The man got up and turned to face a woman who was at a kitchen bar, boiling water on a stovetop.

“Yeah,” he said while walking over to her. He leaned against the counter, saying, “we’ve been down here for so long I wonder if I will start to forget what the surface is like.”

“Is your memory that bad, Mr. Morin?” the lady asked.

“I’m not sure,” the man said. “I hope not. It is just a concern of mine.”

“Do you think staring at that miniature model of the planet will help?”

“Maybe? I’ve never seen the Earth from that perspective before. Most people haven’t. Now, I don’t think anyone ever will.”

“Unfortunately not,” the lady said while opening a chrome packet, pouring the oat-contents into the boiling water. “Humans are resilient, we are able to rebuild. That is what we did after empires like the Egyptians, and the Romans fell.”

The Big Picture

The man looked over to the ceiling where a closed hatch was at the far corner of the room. A ladder was just below it beside a console that glowed red. He nodded at the glowing light, saying, “how long do we have to wait though? It might not even be our generation.”

The woman stirred the contents of the pot with a wooden spoon, saying, “yes. Which is why we have to stick to our set routine. Keep healthy and procreate.” She glared at him with her emerald eyes. “It isn’t a matter of intimacy.”

The man scratched the back of his head saying, “it might help if you called me by my first name.”

“Alright Craig, we can do that. Can we try tonight?”

“Sure,” Craig said. Maybe stop shaving your head, he thought.

His name and her hair fashion were mostly excuses. Shaving their heads helped save on the limited shampoo supplies. The truth was, sex was the last thing on his mind. Of course, he understood that the interaction was only to carry on the human species. For all they knew, he was the last man on earth, and she was the last woman. Humanity potentially came down just to them. The act of procreation was also a difficult one when it involved this the automaton of a woman.

“How did you get selected again, Amy?” Craig asked.

“For this program?” the women identified as Amy asked. “No different than you.”

“That’s the funny thing,” Craig said. “I’m not sure if I fully recall.”

Amy squinted, saying, “your memory really isn’t that good. We’ll have to perform more mental exercises to correct this. Hopefully, it isn’t a defect in your genetics.” She poured the oatmeal out of the pot and into two separate bowls. “Here, eat, and we will begin our morning analysis of the surface.”

“Maybe I bumped my head,” Craig said.

“Unlikely,” Amy said coldly. “We monitor our health daily. It would have been flagged in the console.”

Craig took the bowl and sifted the contents around with the spoon, feeling the heat that was absorbed by the metal utensil. “Can you refresh my memory on how we got here?”

Amy placed the pot on an unused element and took her bowl. “Well, we all took DNA tests, and we were psychologically evaluated. The results dictated who would be a suitable candidate to continue the human race.”

“Right, I remember,” Craig said. He ate some of his oatmeal. Truthfully, he still didn’t remember the events that brought him to this underground bunker. Everything seemed like a blur. One day he was living a normal life, had a steady job, a wife, and the next he found himself here. There was a gap in his memory.

Critical Thinking

Hannah, Craig thought. He recalled his last memory of his wife: A road trip to Banff. She was a natural blonde and was obsessed with her job. Work seemed like a trivial thing, now that he was apart from her. Now, life consisted of physical exercise, studying in the archives, and daily reviews of the Earth’s temperature levels.

Craig looked up at his companion, saying, “how many more of us do you think there are?”

“What do you mean?” Amy asked. “Of the human race?”

“I guess, I meant humans in the bunkers. There have to be more.”

“Not to my knowledge. There wasn’t enough time to build more before the asteroid hit.”

“But they had enough time to do a screening process?”

Amy finished the rest of her breakfast and put her bowl in the sink. “I didn’t build the program. The UN did in hopes of keeping our species alive. Be thankful that you survived.”

“I fear I might go insane down here.”

“That is why they put the program guide together, so we have a purpose every day. I am no different than you, I signed up in hopes of surviving.”

“Yeah,” Craig said. “That’s true.” He finished his oatmeal and placed the bowl in the sink as well. “I wonder if there were any doomsday-preppers who managed to survive through this.”

“I guess our offspring will be the ones to find out about that,” Amy said.

Craig nodded. He didn’t have any further to comment. The concept of living the rest of his life in this bunker with Amy was not a pleasant thought, they had little to no common interest. They had been in the shelter for several months if his memory served correctly. Then again, his mind wasn’t very reliable as of late.

Planetary Inspection

The two left the kitchen and entered a secondary room which consisted of two monitors mounted to the ceiling. Each monitor had a white office chair in front of it. Both Craig and Amy sat down on a chair and waved at the monitor, turning it on.

Each morning, after their workout and breakfast, the two analyzed the latest information the drones gathered. The robots were space-explorative graded and could easily survive the harsh temperatures on the surface. They were fully equipped with cameras and measuring equipment to test the planet’s livability.

The monitor showcased a smaller live-cam of the drone Craig managed. The video displayed an ash-covered wasteland with a grey sky. The digital interface also contained stats of the drone’s health, menus and a map outlining how far the drone has gone from the bunker. At the top right was the temperature which stated: 148° C

“Damnit,” Craig mumbled. He had a small amount of hope that maybe they would have seen a change in temperature. It had stayed the same for the past week, give or take a few digits.

“What?” Amy looked over at him.

“Nothing, the readings seem to be the same as they were yesterday, and the day before.” Craig waved his hand to enhance the live-cam of the drone.

Amy turned back to her interface, “we aren’t looking for hope Craig. We are simply monitoring the aftermath for future generations.”

“Right,” Craig said while continuing on his tasks. He merely wanted to believe there was more. Each time he reviewed the stats, his hope dimmed. Amy and Craig really were the last people on Earth.

Duty to Humankind

As with every day, the two continued their routine of planetary diagnostics, studying, meditation and eating. The activities are was what the UN’s program guide had instructed them to do. Amy didn’t question it, and Craig followed, knowing if he didn’t, he would probably start to go crazy.

After dinner, Craig and Amy patrolled the halls to ensure they did the daily inventory check and reviewed the general health of the bunker. As with every day, everything was in order. The task generally took a couple of hours which left for one more task before leisurely time: procreation.

The bedroom lights were brought to level three of ten, creating a soft glow over the black sheets. Craig had just finished showing, drying himself from head to toe. Amy sat on the bed, hands on her lap. He wrapped the towel around his waist and walked over the bed, sitting down beside her.

“Would you like to undress me?” Amy asked.

Craig shook his head. “You really aren’t good at this are you?”

Amy exhaled and unbuttoned her blouse.

Craig watched as she slipped out of her shirt and pants. Her body was well-toned, hell, even better than his own. Her breasts were basically what other women paid to attempt to recreate. Amy’s physique was a frame that most men would fantasize over. In an unclear series of events, Craig found himself being the last ‘lucky’ guy on the planet who got to live that fantasy.

Amy leaned back onto the bed of pillows, resting her hands on her legs. “Come here,” she said.

Craig stiffly crawled over on top of her, eyeing her from her smooth legs up to her pink lips. She was the definition of beauty, yet he didn’t feel a thing for her. Was he not supposed to feel something for the woman who would care for his future children?

Amy gently ran her hand against the back of his neck, bringing him closer.

The act of sex would have been instinctual with his wife. Why was this so difficult for him? Perhaps the concept of being the last humans on the planet was rotting in the back of his mind. Maybe he was frazzled by not knowing what happened to his memories, or to his wife.

Craig resisted momentarily, stopping his face from meeting Amy’s.

“Are we going through this again?” Amy asked.

Craig blinked a couple of times. “I can’t recall what happened to Hannah.” He rolled off of Amy and pressed into his forehead, trying to remember anything. Craig couldn’t.

Amy sat up beside him, saying, “you’re overthinking this. We’ve endured the impossible, being alive today when everything else is gone.” Amy took Craig’s hand and pulled him towards her as she leaned back down into the bed.

Craig exhaled through his nose, pushing his thought-chatter aside for one moment and embraced the woman, melting his thoughts.

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Author DIY Graphic Design – Colour Theory

Following the Author DIY Graphic Design – The Basics post back in July, the series continues with part two: Colour Theory. Colour is an incredibly important part of graphic design, no matter how much or how little you use of it. The choice of values (the choice of colour) and tones (the amount of light or dark) will drastically change the impact of your novel. Do you think George Orwell’s 1984 novel cover would have the same effect if it were hot pink? Probably not. Why did the designer choose to go with those colours? We’re going to dive into colour schemes, the psychology of colour and some tips that can help you pick the best colours for your project.

Keep in mind; colour theory is a broad topic. Design degrees have entire courses dedicated to the study of colour. In the spirit of the DIY Graphic Design for Authors series, we will travel the surface of the theory and then discuss how you can apply it to your work.

Colour Schemes

Colour schemes are essentially the parameters that your colour choices will follow. They allow the colours to work with each other seamlessly. Your colour scheme can consist of two or more swatches. As an unwritten rule, you don’t want to have more than five values in your colour scheme. You will be bombarded with too many choices.

Monochromatic

The most basic of colour schemes. As shown in the example, this consists of one value and a range of tones. You can have your swatches be saturated into grayscale too; commonly seen in corporate logos. An example of a monochromatic scheme would be black, white and red. This combination creates a high impact visual due to the harsh contrast.

Complementary

The complementary colour scheme introduces a secondary value on the opposite end of the colour wheel as shown in the example. Like monochromatic, you can pick a range of tones.

Triad

The triad colour scheme is like the complementary scheme except it adds a third value. Each value is equally distributed across the colour wheel. This colour scheme is more complicated to work with due to the amount of choice you have.

Analogous

A different type of colour scheme is analogous which consists of values directly across from each other on the colour wheel.

There are more colour schemes out there such as compound and split complimentary but these become increasingly complex, and I wouldn’t recommend exploring these unless you want to push your capabilities in colour.

Psychology of Colour

Colours express moods. How do you know which colour represents what? Great question, below is a basic breakdown of some of the more common colours:

Red and Oranges

Reds are aggressive, high-energy and are more proactive. Oranges are similar but softer. They can also be more energetic than reds depending on how vibrant they are.

Yellow

Yellow is like oranges but is far less aggressive. Our eyes naturally move towards bright colours, which is why you see yellows used in construction, caution tape and on specific animals.

Green

This colour is linked with nature, growth or money, depending on the tone of green. Yellow-based greens are more connected with nature where blue-based greens are cooler and are more mechanical.

Blue

Depending on the tone, blues can be warm or cold. This colour is the most neutral used and seen in large corporations. For example, Wal-Mart once had a darker blue until they went through a rebrand with a warmer blue to express friendliness. Wal-Mart also introduced a yellow sun as a highlight colour.

Know your Project

Something I will be mentioning over and over again in this DIY Graphic Design for Author series is to know your project. Knowing your project will help you understand what colours will work well. If you are working with a science fiction book, astral values will fit well. In a horror novel, you might see darker tones and perhaps red. Research the market that you are targeting on Amazon, Kobo or even in a bookstore to see what other designers are doing.

Tips and Resources

Below are some tips and resources that can further assist you in working with colour.

You can also use tools like Adobe Color CC (color.adobe.com) or Sessions College Colour Calculator (sessions.edu/color-calculator) which is a highly useful tool for picking out colour schemes.

Work in Grayscale

Still unsure how to properly use colour? A great trick is to work only in tones (black and white) and then switch the various grey swatches to a value. Take a look at the iPhone mockup below. On the left, we have the phone in black and white and on the right we have the phone in colour. Notice how the vibrant colours stand out because they have a higher tone of white and black?

Reference Nature

If you are unsure of what colour to use, an effective method is to reference nature. Nature got colour right because it all serves a purpose on every animal, plant and landscape. For example, poisonous animals tend to be very vibrant and loud to get your attention. Animals that live in the wilderness – like in Canada have neutral tones to help them camouflage in their surroundings. Take a look at the examples below; you could sample colouring from either one of these images.

Your Exercise

Got a book cover to make? How about a poster or banner? Explore some colour schemes, perhaps three. If you are stuck or have additional thoughts, please share in the comments.

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Interview on Time to Go Indie Now Episode 30

I made another appearance with GoIndieNow during When Words Collide 2018. We chat how YEGman came to be at 49:07. Joe Compton does a fantastic job of covering the whoel festival. Enjoy the episode!

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