Konn Lavery's Blog: Posts from konnlavery.com, page 7

Red Mountain

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Let's not forget you will get a copy of the Into the Macrocosm eBook to jump-start you into this strange world of fantasy, horror, thrillers, scifi, and bizarre.To view this content, you must be a member of Konn's Patreon at $5 or more - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source

The post Red Mountain appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Make Time for Writing. NaNoWriMo 2022: Ash Book 2

NaNoWriMo is just around the corner. Are you ready? I���m pleased to share that I will participate in NaNoWriMo for the first time since 2020. Unfortunately, the event doesn���t always line up with the writing schedule. I am doing NaNoWriMo this year because I will make time for writing.

Welcome to Another Edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

Yes, I���m still slaving away on book 1 of the Ash series. The revisions are going great, and I can already see where book 2 is going. The plot is fresh in my mind, and NaNoWriMo 2022 is right here. It���s a perfect storm that I can use to keep the momentum going for the story.

Crystal Moths: Ash Series Book One

For you lovely readers? That means the dark urban fantasy series is growing. I���m still aiming to get book one out for next year with a potential early Patreon access, chapter by chapter.

Crystal Moths is in great shape, and I���ll have more about it to come early in 2023. Right now, the story has revisions I���m applying. The interior photo illustrations and cover art are coming along too. They���re still in the conceptual phase, which will define the artwork for the entire series. The title, Crystal Moths and Ash for the series is a work in progress. I have more research to do on the genre and will be taking votes from you, wonderful people.

For now, the working title stays as is. Book 1 is shaping to be the largest novel I have written.

The series is a flagship for the entire Macrocosm universe, housing the fantastic past, horrific present, and cosmic-dread future. As it is now, there are loose connections seen in the novels. They���re clarified more in the short story collections, Into the Macrocosm and Beyond the Macrocosm. The wiki also helps.

All of that changes with Crystal Moths: Ash Series Book 1. The Macrocosm connections will be clear as day. If you haven���t read the one-sentence pitch before, check it out below.

Crystal Moths One Sentence Synopsis

Lola, a fugitive after exposing the law���s connection to the notorious Crystal Moths, has her life and family destroyed, igniting her need for revenge and plunging her into a forgotten old world of greed, legend, and mythology.

Make Time for Writing Now

NaNoWriMo can be a challenge. We���re reaching the end of the year, and the world is open. Schedules are packed as we tried to jam in as much as possible, playing catch-up from 2020 and 2021.

Time management is key when you need to make time for writing. If you plan on participating in NaNoWriMo 2022, I���ve previously written handy resources for you on the blog. These are good tips and tricks you can apply beyond November.

Tips on How to Make Time for WritingTime Management for WritingGuard Your TimeDistractions and Time Management for WritingAll Writing Posts

In addition, I have a few NaNoWriMo-specific blog posts that can help you prepare for the impending November first date.

NaNoWriMo TipsFinish NaNoWriMo in Two WeeksPre-Planning Your Novel for NaNoWriMo

I preach about time management a lot on the blog and have written plenty of posts on the craft of writing, as shown above. It seems pointless to repeat myself since those articles still stand. If you have questions or some insight into making time, do let me know in the comments.

I���ll Make Time for Writing

The great migration west has been a success. I am beyond thankful that September was a quiet month for freelance graphic design. It gave me time to settle into the new province, learn the neighbourhood, and get into a new routine.

The wheels are in motion. Already I am providing estimates for potential projects. Existing clients are coming back with some new work needed for the holidays. The former state of limbo dwindles, and it���s time to buckle in for the escalating yearly crunch. Still, I���ll make time for writing. I hope you do too. Add me on NaNoWriMo.

Beer Note: Strange Fellows Brewing Beldame

Like last month, I���ve tried so many beers I keep forgetting to take a photo of them. So, here���s another good Strange Fellows Brewing ale. The Beldame is a German Pilsner I frequently have on Fridays to finish the week. It���s light, refreshing, bitter taste, and not foggy. The beer is quite effective at quenching a growing thirst from the week.

The post Make Time for Writing. NaNoWriMo 2022: Ash Book 2 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Revenge of the Witchfinder by Simon Rose ��� The Stone of the Seer Book 3

I���m please to welcome Simon Rose back who has a brand new novel, Revenge of the Witchfinder. It���s final book in The Stone of the Seer series. Previously we had Simon in July talking about Blood Royal and back in February for the debut novel The Stone of the Seer.

Simon Rose is from Calgary and has published eighteen novels for children and young adults, eight guides for writers, more than a hundred nonfiction books, and numerous articles on a wide range of topics.

Although this is the final part of the Stone of the Seer series, remind us of what it���s all about?

The Stone of the Seer is young adult historical fantasy series. The exciting story is mostly set in the mid-seventeenth century during the English Civil War. In The Stone of the Seer, the first book in the series. Lady Elizabeth Usborne, Kate, and Tom encounter a magical stone, mysterious parchments and manuscripts, and an incredible time viewing device. In part two, Royal Blood, Lady Elizabeth, Kate, and Tom are in London, witnessing the political turmoil at the time of the Civil War, including the king���s trial and execution. In both novels, the main characters are threatened by the witchfinder, Daniel Tombes. There are numerous twists and turns, until the story���s cliffhanger ending, but all is resolved in the final installment.

Sounds amazing. So how much can you tell us about the story���s conclusion?

Well, without giving too much away, Revenge of the Witchfinder takes place in multiple time periods. The story features weird dreams, disturbing visions, parallel lives, and a bewildering identity crisis, as the lead characters discover to their horror that not even the passage of centuries can prevent a bloodthirsty witchfinder from the 1640s from seeking his deadly revenge. Readers will consistently be engaged and unable to put the book down until they reach the dramatic conclusion.And of course, people will now be able to buy all three books in the series.

And there���s quite a story behind the story, isn���t there?

The story and main characters in the series may be fictional, but they���re based on real events and characters. In the 1640s, Charles I and Parliament went to war over how the country should be governed. The English Civil War led to the king���s defeat, trial, and execution in 1649. There was no monarchy for eleven years, but then Charles II, son of the former king, was restored to the throne in 1660. However, things were never the same again and it had been established that an English king or queen had to have the consent of Parliament to rule the country.

As with the first two books in the series, did you engage in a great deal of historical research for this one?

I did lots of research into the English Civil War, Charles I, the trial of the king and so on, as well as into the other time periods that are a part of the overall story, such as the Viking era, for The Stone of the Seer and Royal Blood. For the third installment, I researched things such as archaeology and excavations, how London has changed from how it looked during the Civil War compared to today, how some areas were damaged or in some places totally destroyed during the Blitz in World War II, all of which was vital to ensure that the story was as perfect as possible.

As I did in The Stone of the Seer and Royal Blood, I���ve included a glossary at the end of Revenge of the Witchfinder. Readers can learn more about the historical events, settings, and characters that feature throughout the story. On my website, there���s a page dedicated to each book in the series, along with links to separate pages featuring information regarding each book���s historical background and links to many online sources. All of this should be even more fascinating for readers, now that the entire series is available for them to enjoy.

Do you have any current projects?

Right now, I���m working on another historical fantasy novel series, this time set in the early years of World War II. I���m also working on another story that takes place in the later stages of World War II, as well as more books in the same genre as my previously published paranormal Flashback series. You can learn more about those books at www.simon-rose.com. I also continue to work on the adaptations of my Shadowzone series into screenplays for movies and TV shows, as well as teaching writing courses at the University of Calgary.

Anyone interested in keeping up to date with the projects that I���m working on is always welcome to subscribe to my monthly newsletter, which you can do at www.simon-rose.com.

You still do other work related to writing and publishing, right?

Yes, I offer coaching, editing, consulting, and mentoring services for writers of novels, short stories, fiction, nonfiction, biographies, and in many other genres, plus work with writers of scripts and screenplays. I���m also a writing instructor and mentor at the University of Calgary and served as the Writer-in-Residence with the Canadian Authors Association. You can find details of some of the projects I���ve worked on with other authors, along with some references, at www.simon-rose.com.

So where can people buy Revenge of the Witchfinder, Royal Blood, and The Stone of the Seer?

I���ll be making some personal appearances at local events in the fall, where people can buy autographed copies of all the books in the series, as well as all the other novels. The latest series can also be purchased at most of the usual places, as follows:

Revenge of the Witchfinder

Ebook: Amazon Canada,��Amazon USA, Kobo,��iBooks,��Barnes and Noble, Smashwords

Paperback: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA

Royal Blood

Ebook: Amazon Canada,��Amazon USA, Kobo, iBooks, Barnes and Noble,��Smashwords

Paperback: Amazon Canada, Amazon USA

The Stone of the Seer

Ebook:��Amazon Canada,��Amazon USA,��Kobo,��iBooks,��Barnes and Noble,��Smashwords��

Paperback:��Amazon Canada, Amazon USA

Thanks Simon, for being my guest here today and the very best of luck with Revenge of the Witchfinder, and indeed with the entire Stone of the Seer series. I hope that all the books sell thousands and thousands of copies in the coming months.

You can learn more about Simon and his work on his website at www.simon-rose.com, where you can also link to him on social media and at other locations online.

The post Revenge of the Witchfinder by Simon Rose ��� The Stone of the Seer Book 3 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

I Know Who I Am

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Three eBooks to dive into The Macrocosm
Monthly Short Stories in Written and Audiobook Format
Access to drafts, works-in-progress, and writing updates
High Rez Short Story Artwork for Phone Backgrounds
Your name in the thank you section of the next Macrocosm short story collection
Access to The Macrocosm Wiki

You're basically buying me a drink every month, fueling me to craft more stories!

Let's not forget you will get a copy of the Into the Macrocosm eBook to jump-start you into this strange world of fantasy, horror, thrillers, scifi, and bizarre.To view this content, you must be a member of Konn's Patreon at $5 or more - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source

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The Write Words Podcast

I am pleased to share that I was on The Write Words Podcast with the Podcast Take Over – Horror and Dark Fantasy hosted by Australian author Darren Kasenkow. We dive into the darker side of human existence, our place in the universe, and how all this ties into writing along with transmedia storytelling. Listen to the episode here:

A big thank you to Hayley and Darren for having me on the show and do check out The Write Words Podcast for all things writing.

The post The Write Words Podcast appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Routines Keep You Grounded

It’s official, I’ve now been in Vancouver for a month. I’m still trying to figure out where the time went because it only feels like a week. Perhaps that’s why routines keep you grounded, considering 4 weeks were compressed into 1 week within my internal timeline. Even with building furniture, unpacking, and juggling design work and writing, I stayed as accurate as possible to my old routine.

Welcome to Another Edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

Some people think routines are bland, dry, and uninteresting. Yes, the lack of spontaneousness can seem dull. It also creates stability, which is vital if you want to be a writer. Those words don’t get down on the page unless you put in the time.

Make Time

People frequently say they “don’t have time.” It’s an easy trap to fall into despite everyone having twenty-four hours a day. That’s why you must “make time” instead of presuming the universe owes you more hours in the day. Make the time by shifting your priorities which we looked at last month with orbiting tasks. Prioritizing what’s important will help you make time.

In addition, keeping a routine gives you a better sense of your day. Constantly doing the same ritual at the same time of day will help calm your mind and body because you won’t be flustered trying to juggle randomness. It’s certainly fun to be impulsive. It’s also a great way to lose track of yourself. We want the opposite when trying to create equilibrium.

The Ritual

Don’t worry; we’re not getting into any strange cult practices. A ritual doesn’t have to be a spiritual thing. It’s your method of doing something every day. Writing is a ritual. Drawing can be one, exercise is another or anything you prefer.

Staying true to your ritual puts everything else in order. Some people add multiple things to their rituals or have several daily rituals to best fit their life. I have a strict morning ritual, and the day progressively becomes less predictable. It’s part of the nature of freelance gigs.

Protect that Routine

What’s remembered is how your pick yourself up and continue in longevity. It takes around three months on average to truly set in a new habit. Since routines keep you grounded, you’ll have to be pretty disciplined to introduce a new ritual into your life. Also, don’t beat yourself up if you fall off the bandwagon. It happens to everyone and nothing to be ashamed of.

You also won’t want to perform your routine every day. Some days it will be a slug, but do keep at it. Your future self will thank you.

Short and Sweet. Remember, Routines Keep You Grounded

This Unprocessed Thoughts is short and to the point. As I mentioned, my internal timeline thinks I’ve been here for a week, and I feel like I just wrote August’s Unprocessed Thoughts. In reality, I didn’t. I’ve got lots of writing to get to as I’ve fallen behind on the Crystal Moths: Ash Book 1 novel and need to dedicate myself to it to be ready for next year.

That means it is my turn to make some time.

Beer Note: Slow Hand Beer Company Pilsner

As my tastes evolve, I keep moving towards lighter beers to suit the pallet, and this fits nicely. For this month I tried the Slow Hand Beer Company Pilsner. They are located in Vancouver and make a good beer if you’re in the mood for a dry one.

Amusingly enough, I’m getting into whiskeys which are far stronger than IPAs. Perhaps it’s time to shake things up.

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Building a MULTIVERSE and INTERACTIVE NOVELS! Diabolic Shrimp #3.1

I’m pleased to be back on Diabolic Shrimp, episode one of season three. I was on Diabolic shrimp earlier this year as part of a panel and last year for Into the Macrocosm.

This episode we chat about world building your books under a single universe, interactive novels, and Joshua Grant reads an excerpt from the interactive short story collection.

Check it out!

Diabolical Shrimp

YouTube Channel

Website

The post Building a MULTIVERSE and INTERACTIVE NOVELS! Diabolic Shrimp #3.1 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

The Spot

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Three eBooks to dive into The Macrocosm
Monthly Short Stories in Written and Audiobook Format
Access to drafts, works-in-progress, and writing updates
High Rez Short Story Artwork for Phone Backgrounds
Your name in the thank you section of the next Macrocosm short story collection
Access to The Macrocosm Wiki

You're basically buying me a drink every month, fueling me to craft more stories!

Let's not forget you will get a copy of the Into the Macrocosm eBook to jump-start you into this strange world of fantasy, horror, thrillers, scifi, and bizarre.To view this content, you must be a member of Konn's Patreon at $5 or more - Click "Read more" to unlock this content at the source

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Just Joshing Episode 843

I’m pleased to be back on Just Joshing and dive into the creative writing process, convention live, and where we both want to go next year. Listen to the episode below:

The post Just Joshing Episode 843 appeared first on Konn Lavery.

Orbiting Your Tasks

Disrupting your routine creates a chain reaction of events, dismantling everything you���ve built. If the inconsistencies last too long, you���ve created another routine born of an inconsistent nature. Then introducing your old habits becomes a grind for your body and mind because it views them as something new. Orbiting your tasks will give you better means of handling wild cards and adapting to an ever-changing world. The scenario described is what I���ve been experiencing over the past seven weeks while migrating to Vancouver.

Welcome to Another Edition of Unprocessed Thoughts

Some people thrive in inconsistencies, while others deem it their worst nightmare. Despite living a ridged existence, I like a bit of randomness in my life. The constant in my world is bound to waking up earlier than others, thus giving myself time to write. As the day plays out, time becomes less predictable with contract work urgencies, meetings, and evenings where I still attempt to have a life. Then the next day, it repeats with the morning writing ritual.

Throughout August, I���ve been packing and prepping for the great migration west. There was also a strange health scenario for a couple weeks that is TMI (Too Much Information) for me to get into. In short, this infection made it nearly impossible for me to walk due to the chronic pain. My girlfriend and I were wondering if we���d have to adjust our plans because two doctors had mentioned potential surgery if the scenario didn���t improve. Thankfully healed with hardcore antibiotics in the end. All is well and timely for the move.

Needless to say, there hasn���t been a lot of writing happening over August; hence the Unprocessed Thoughts is late, just like July���s. Thankfully the move has been made, and the new apartment is functional (and aesthetically a mess), so we can get back to the regular writing programming.

Set Up Orbiting Your Tasks

I���ve talked about being flexible on the blog plenty of times. I have elaborated on consistency, planning, and being flexible. Basically, I���m implying you have to be everything to be a persistent writer. The regularity of writing is a must if you want a steady production line of new releases and to improve your craft. This doesn���t necessarily mean you must write at the same time for the same amount every day. Your writing needs to be the core of your day while everything else operates around it. This is the primary concept of orbiting your tasks.

Gravity is Flexibility

How can gravity mean flexibility? Well, think about how planets work in open space. In the cosmos, objects are attracted to each due to the gravity they create, constantly pulling on each other, creating an orbit. Your tasks are things throughout your day that can be pulled into your writing and circle around it. Your goal is getting those next words onto the page.

Asteroids, or moons, will orbit a planet. The planet orbits a sun which creates a solar system. That solar system is in a star cluster that rotates as a group around the galaxy, basically creating a fractal of endless orbiting. There are even odd scenarios where two equally sized objects rotate from the tension their gravities create against each other. This is the visualization of orbiting your tasks.

The space model helps abstractly visualize your days, weeks, months, and even years while writing your book and building to the business of writing. Maybe you also have another core thing to do daily ��� like taking care of a kid ��� and your writing orbits that task. Something like cleaning may be a lesser object that can orbit around your writing.

Shifting Pieces

The idea behind this space orbit view is to think in flexible terms. Rather than being ridged, sticking to your guns, and trying to push your way through tasks, you can move them around. The task may be able to be done later, so you let it complete another orbit. You can come back to it later in the day or maybe later in the week.

Another way of thinking about it is a hot potato. When you have too many things to juggle, just toss one in the air for a bit to buy yourself some time. You can finish an easy task before the other one falls back down. This is the same visual as orbiting your tasks.

In short, we���re talking about project management. A book is a massive goal with many moving parts. Trying to wedge it into your daily routine is a challenge on its own. These mental models aid your efforts in being more efficient in the long run.

A Small Example of Orbiting Your Tasks

Everything I did up to this point in 2022 has been dedicated to the move. I looked at what I could write, what I could publish, what kind of contract work I could take on, and what my physical limitations were before September. I figured a buffer was also needed throughout the months because things generally go south in some form. An example of that would be the extended time I spent in Vancouver looking for a place or losing half of August due to unexpected health issues.

Bound to Unpredictability

We have been locked into a world of inconsistency, whether we like it or not. The laws of nature and the fundamentals of our universe are so bizarre and unstable that its extraordinary humanity has made it this far. Maybe it was an inevitable process of illumination due to the number of atoms, stars, and planets in the universe. It���s still impressive; never the less.

Even in our well-polished industrialized global markets and massive systematic metropolises, we have wildcards we cannot control. The pandemic is an easy recent example of how life can knock everyone off their game. All the projections and predictions made by expert futurists didn���t take a microscopic organism into consideration because it is impossible for them to know the unknown unless they had a crystal ball.

I had read a book called Future Babble: Why Expert Predictions Fail – and Why We Believe Them Anyway by Dan Gardner a few years back that went into detail about the pure randomness of experts making accurate predictions. If memory serves, the best future forecasters are only 40-60% accurate. It���s a drastically low accuracy rate, considering how high some forecasters are paid. No other profession lets you be good at your job 40-60% of the time and make six figures a year (or more).

Do What You Can with Writing

All this talk about flexibility and managing your responsibilities has led us down into a vast void of the universe, hasn���t it? Maybe we can���t predict the future, and we have a lot of instability in the world but do what you can with your writing. After all, I���m going to guess you got into writing in the first place because you enjoyed it. It���d be a strange craft to specialize in if you didn���t.

I���m currently reading Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors by Carl Sagan and Ann Druyan. In the introduction, it mentioned a solid point about remembering past generations. Most people are lucky if they can look back three generations ago within their family lineage. Multiply that by billions of people worldwide, and you see how forgettable we truly are as individuals. This is, of course, if you don���t write the next big New York Times Bestseller that becomes a Hollywood pop sensation.

With most of us being a drop in the ocean, take some comfort in your writing by enjoying the process. Guaranteed life will give you new, unforeseen scenarios soon and orbiting your tasks will provide you with a new set of tools to keep at your side. If you���re struggling to get those words on the page, keep at it, don���t beat yourself up and orbit those tasks. Remember, what goes around comes around.

Beer Note: FERDINAND Vienna Lager | Strange Fellows Brewing

For this month, I did try several new beers, and it is difficult to pick one because there are so many breweries in my neighbourhood. At random, here���s the FERDINAND Vienna Lager by Strange Fellows Brewing. It���s a solid lager I���ve had many times throughout my journey to find a home in Vancouver. It���s one you can drink several times over and not get tired of. I���d say all Strange Fellows Brewing beers are worth a try, and it is becoming a favourite of mine in such a short time here.

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