C.J. Brightley's Blog, page 14

Writers and Authors Beware!

If you’re considering self-publishing, you’ve probably been doing some research about how to avoid the various scams and predatory “services” and vanity presses out there fighting for your attention and money. It’s a rough world… there are a lot of people and businesses who are eager to take advantage of authors. Before you give any money to anyone for any service, please check out the following links as appropriate:

Preditors and Editors

Writer Beware, and here’s the page on vanity presses and scam warning signs, along with an extensive list of other places to check out any publishing house you are considering

Hugh Howey - an indie author (with a previous book published by a small press) who has fantastic advice on indie publishing

TerribleMinds - written by Chuck Wendig, a hybrid author (he has both traditionally and indie-published books) with great advice. Be warned – the language is pretty vulgar. The advice is good though.

A Newbie’s Guide to Publishing – written by J. A. Konrath, a formerly traditionally published author who went indie (he may still have a few titles locked up in traditional publishing) and offers great advice on indie publishing.

David Gaughran - I linked directly to a post on the basics of self-publishing (what’s involved, how to get started, etc.)

The Independent Publishing Magazine

Dean Wesley Smith - another indie with good advice and cautions about scams

Linday Buroker – yet another indie with good advice

The Creative Penn - overall a great resource for indies

The Passive Voice - another great blog

Note how many indie authors are on this list… indie authors who are succeeding are the best resources on how to self-publish and how to succeed as an indie author. Traditional presses know their business but are dramatically behind the curve of a changing industry. Traditionally published authors may or may not “get it,” but even if they see the benefits of going indie, they may be locked into contracts with no compete clauses.

Don’t think that big name traditional publishers are your allies, either. Check out this warning (one of many sites with good info on this scam) about Author Solutions, a predatory vanity/scam publisher now owned by Penguin. Author Solutions also operates under the names iUniverse, Xlibris, AuthorHouse, Tate, Infiniti, Hay House, and a number of other names. Also be warned that a number of other big name publishers like Simon and Schuster, Harlequin, Thomas Nelson (owned by Harper Collins), and others have contracted with Author Solutions for their own money-making vanity press operations. PLEASE read this warning article by David Gaughran before you consider using any kind of self-publishing service. Lulu also signed a deal with Author Solutions. Publish America () is another known scammy vanity press.

AgentQuery.com - if you’re interested in searching for an agent

QueryShark - if you’re pursuing traditional publication

QueryTracker - for those pursuing traditional publication

I’m reluctant to even link to some of the other big websites… they have some good info, but several of them have profiled Author Solutions as if it was a legitimate company instead of a scam. Beware reading these… I don’t trust them, but they do have some good info if you’re willing to do your due diligence: GalleyCat, PublishersWeekly, Writer’sDigest (overall decent for writing advice but they run their own vanity press too!).

Does indie publishing sound too scary? Don’t panic yet. There are a number of authors warning about the various scams online. You can check out various writing groups online (the Absolute Write Water Cooler Bewares forum is a good one, as is the Kindle Boards forum) and ask about any agent or publisher you’re considering. If you’re still not sure, ask! One of the things I love about the indie writing community is that it is a community. Most people really are willing to help you as much as they can, or at least point you in the right direction. No indie wants to see another indie get scammed.

~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post Writers and Authors Beware! appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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If I Had a Billion Dollars…

No, this isn’t going to be a blog post about all the wonderful things I would do with a billion dollars… travel the world, devote tons of money to various worthwhile charities (some personal favorites are Gospel for Asia and WorldVision, but there are others I would support too), pay off our mortgage (buy a new house) and grad school loans, and all the other standard things most people would do.

This is a “what would I do differently in my writing life if money wasn’t an issue” blog post. All those things I listed above are great, but this is a writing blog and I wanted to think about how monetary considerations affect my writing career.

First, money isn’t why I write. But there are some things I might do differently if money was completely out of the picture.

1) I’d splurge on babysitting and give myself two mornings a week to just write. At the moment, I’m 6 months pregnant and a stay at home mom of a 2.5 year old. I also do some government consulting. I’m not teaching karate at the moment. I’m generally pretty tired, despite my best efforts at getting to bed early. I can really only write during my daughter’s naptime or after she goes to bed, which means I’m directly sacrificing my own rest during the day and time with my husband at night. When I wasn’t pregnant, I enjoyed working during that quiet afternoon naptime, but now my daughter is older, her naps are getting shorter, and I’m more tired… I really feel it when I don’t rest when I have that chance.

If I could be exhausted and still write well, I’d probably do it. But unfortunately, the more tired I am, the more I end up using the time unproductively, surfing the internet, “brainstorming” without coming up with anything new, or staring at a blank screen for an hour at a time. Sometimes I can power through those down times when I don’t know exactly what comes next… but when I’m really tired, I can’t, no matter how much I try.

I probably wouldn’t do it more than two mornings a week, at least at first. I cherish that time with my daughter, and I don’t want anyone else to have it. However, even those few extra hours a week of time to write while I’m not exhausted would do wonders for my productivity.

2) I’d splurge on editing. I’ve been fortunate in the past with the editing talent and skill offered to me at no cost by generous friends. But those wonderful editors and beta readers aren’t available to me anymore due to health considerations and other real life demands. Soon I’ll be selecting a freelance editor(s) for my upcoming books, and while the expense is far from the top consideration, it is still a factor.

3) I’d have a dedicated writing area in my house. At the moment, our new-to-us house is under renovation. Most of the work is more or less cosmetic… gutting a mustard-yellow bathroom to modernize it was a choice, not a requirement, because it worked perfectly fine. The kitchen renovation that we hope to complete before Baby #2 comes along is similarly a choice rather than a true requirement (although the chipped 1962 original brown formica countertops, original gas stove, high cabinets that I can’t reach, and terrible layout are driving me slowly insane). We’ll be doing the work ourselves, with huge amounts of help from our parents (who actually know what they’re doing) and probably a few contractors to do things like move the gas line and water line and such.

Those things all take priority before making me a writing area. I don’t actually want much, just a quiet space that isn’t used for anything else. If money wasn’t an object, we’d probably do less of the destruction and construction ourselves, we’d finance our parents being here more so they can help with the construction (yes, they genuinely enjoy it and wouldn’t be happy if we contracted it all out), and we’d contract out more of it in order to save time and inconvenience.

AND we’d get to my writing space sooner! We’re looking at finishing about half of the unfinished space in our basement. Half the basement is already finished, so this would give us basically one more room, with only the utility area unfinished. That room will be the writing area / husband’s study / jewelry area (I make jewelry too! You can see my work at Shy Violet.). It sounds like it would be crowded, but it wouldn’t be – it’s a decent space and without the extra bookshelves and random things that currently clutter our study, it should be pretty functional.

4) I’d actually advertise my books! I know paid advertising isn’t the only way to loads of sales, but I wouldn’t feel bad about spending a little bit to get that initial bit of publicity and visibility. Right now, I’ve had some very nice reviews, but I’m languishing in the abyss of invisibility.

Why even care about sales? Because I love love love the thought of people reading and enjoying my books. I know the money from each sale wouldn’t even be noticeable against the Scrooge McDuck piles of money that a billion dollars would be (I can’t imagine that much money… it seems like it must be fictional, even though I understand that 1,000,000,000 is an actual number). I just want more people to read and enjoy my books. I’d probably make them all free, although free ebooks tend to languish on people’s Kindles while paid-for books tend to get read. Psychologically, somehow that makes sense. I just want to reach more people. I wouldn’t be a desperate crazy author waving my books around at highway intersections or anything, but I’d definitely be willing to spend money to get my books in front of the people who would enjoy them.

I could donate paperback copies to every library in the country. That would be fun!

5) I would splurge on more book-related art. I’d have different covers made for new print runs, I’d get special humongous poster-size art, and anything else you can think of. I’d probably wallpaper my writing area with it.

6) I would go to lots of conventions! I’m going to Awesome Con DC this year (which will be funny because I’ll be 38 weeks pregnant, but that’s another story) and I might go to Intervention Con again (I’m waiting to apply until after the baby is born). But I’d try to make another big convention or two without considering travel costs.

7) And writing conventions! Like the Association of Writers and Writing Programs Conference, the Jackson Hole Writers Conference, the Indie Author Conference, the Santa Barbara Writers Conference, and the Yale Writers Conference. Oh hey… IndieReCon is free and online, so there’s nothing stopping me from doing it this year!

What would you do differently in your creative endeavors if money wasn’t an issue?

~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post If I Had a Billion Dollars… appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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Extra: A Cold Wind – Scene from Riona’s Point of View

Kemen relates this scene from his point of view in A Cold Wind, and I thought it would be fun to tell it from Riona’s point of view… they have very different perspectives. If you have the paperback version, the scene starts on page 99 with I left the main company far behind…

SPOILER WARNING: This is a scene close to the middle of the second book. There aren’t huge spoilers in here, but there are some pretty big clues, so if you don’t want anything spoiled, don’t read any further!

 

***

Kemen arrived back from Rikuto in the middle of a rainstorm just before midnight. No one had expected him back yet, so his room wasn’t ready and dinner was long put away. Nori woke the king, and then woke Sinta and me so we could prepare his room and meal.

Sinta asked if I wanted her to ready his room so I could go meet him, but I was strangely nervous about seeing him after several weeks. I told her to go ahead, and I started the fire in his room. Perhaps it was his absence that made me remember how honored he was, how different our stations were. The king himself leapt out of bed when he heard that Kemen had returned. Who was I to think that Kemen might feel more than friendly affection toward me? The roses he’d left at my door spoke of a love that did not fit the image that now filled my mind.

I told myself such feelings were silly, but I couldn’t help the nervous flutter in my chest when I slipped into the hall. The king thanked him and brushed past me barely a glance. Sinta had taken Kemen’s dripping cloak and was holding it out from her as she hung it on a drying rack in the corner, trying not to soak her own gown.

Kemen saw me, and he bowed with a smile.

“You’re wet!” My words sounded inane as soon as they left my mouth. It was true, though; despite the hood that he’d obviously pulled over his head, his hair dripped into his face and his boots squelched against the marble floor. His thick overtunic and the white shirt beneath it were plastered to him, his trousers drenched, the water slowly dripping into his boots. It showed his body in detail I’d carefully avoided imagining.

“It’s raining.” His smile widened, but he didn’t seem to notice my embarrassment.

Sinta was not so kind, and as she left, she whispered, “Can’t help looking now, can you?”

My face heated.

“I trust you’re well?” he said, his eyes never leaving my face.

I nodded. “Come. I’ll get you dinner.”

We walked through the halls without speaking, except for when he gently took the lamp from my hand to carry it for me. Sinta had stirred the logs in the hearth and the fire was going strongly by the time we reached his room. He set the lamp on a table and stepped behind a screen to undress. I fed the fire more wood, taking the opportunity calm my thoughts.

“Will you want a bath tonight?” I asked.

“Just a basin of water. I should, but I’m tired. I’ll bathe in the morning.”

I didn’t wonder that he was tired. He must have ridden ahead of the rest of the company, alone in the darkness for hours while it rained buckets on him. I heard the soft rustle of fabric as he scrubbed briskly at his face and hair, then more rustling as he dressed. I lit another lamp.

“I’ll bring you some dinner in a moment. There’s wine here for you while you wait.” I looked up to see him standing beside the screen, the light playing across his bare chest.

He might have been carved of ebin wood or dark stone by some master sculptor, a flawless study in muscle and bone. I sucked in my breath and looked away, even as he stepped toward the fire and knelt. The flickering firelight caught the strong lines of his cheekbone and jaw, his lips set in an expression I couldn’t read. The lamplight, from behind him, highlighted the prickles of chill on his broad shoulders and the tight, hard muscles of his torso. The faded star-shaped scar on his back, at the tip of his right shoulder blade, caught my eye for a moment. What had happened to leave him with that? I wondered if I’d ever have the courage to ask him.

My life seemed boring and safe in comparison to his, and though I didn’t mind the safety, the reminder of his courage made me doubt again what he might see in me. If anything. Perhaps I was too forward, assuming too much about his feelings.

He poked at the logs and sighed, a soft, tired sound that I don’t think I was meant to hear. He didn’t look at me.

“Sir? The king had pheasant pie for dinner tonight, if you’d like that. But I can make you anything you want.” I knelt beside him, close enough to see his face better but not too close. “Are you cold? I can get more wood for the fire.”

“I’m fine. Thank you.”

I stood and he sighed again, closing his eyes for a moment. I found a robe in the chest at the end of his bed and stepped close again to drape it over his shoulders. He looked up at me, blinking against the dry heat of the fire.

“Sir, come sit. You must be tired. What can I bring you?”

He stood, the movement not quite as effortless and graceful as he usually was. He was already stiffening from the ride, and that, more than his expression, told me how hard he must have ridden. The king had been grateful for his news, though, so it must have been good. “Whatever is easy.” He coughed.

“Are you sick?”

“No. Just tired.”

I hesitated, then leaned over to pull the robe closer around his neck. My boldness startled me, and perhaps it startled him as well, because he met my eyes with a sudden glance. My face heated, and I turned away, clasping my hands together to unsuccessfully hide their trembling.

I left him there, sitting with his bare feet stretched toward the fire, to prepare his dinner. The hallways of the palace are rarely quiet, but between midnight and dawn even the servants are sleeping. Sinta had stirred the coals in the oven before she’d retired. I found a lamb tart and cut a large piece for him, then stuffed a few hot peppers into the open sides before putting it in the oven to heat. A piece of pheasant pie went into the oven as well, along with a plate of beans with nuts and stuffed tomatoes. Then a plate of cool items, almond pastries, slices of four kinds of cheese, a roll of sticky rice sealed in a leaf left over from the king’s breakfast, grapes, and a few other things I hoped he’d like.

I waited impatiently for the tart and pie to finish heating; after the long, cold, wet ride, I imagined Kemen would prefer his food hot rather than lukewarm. Finally everything was ready, and I arranged it on a tray. It was heavy, but I managed to make it to his room without dropping or jostling it. I had to put the tray on the floor for a moment to open the door, and stepped inside.

He didn’t move, and I crossed the room to put the tray on the table by the window that looked out onto the darkened courtyard. I turned to see him asleep, his head propped on his right fist. I stepped closer, unable to look away for a moment. I hadn’t known a man could be so beautiful. The white robe had loosened as he sat, showing his neck and a triangle of his chest, smooth and hard, though it moved with each soft breath. His hair curled a bit at his temples, especially now as it dried from the rain. He sighed, gave a soft cough, then his breathing deepened as he relaxed further into sleep.

I felt cruel to wake him, and I wondered if I was wrong to do so. But surely he would be hungry too. I touched his shoulder.

“Sir, I’ve brought your dinner.”

He blinked into sudden, startled wakefulness, then smiled when he saw the tray. “I guess I look hungry.” He pulled the robe tighter and belted it around his lean waist.

“I wanted to be sure you had something you liked. Did you have any trouble on the road?”

“No. The trip was easy enough.” He coughed again, a short dry cough.

I took a deep breath, reminding myself that we were courting. I should be bold. I should trust that he would not be offended if I did not behave exactly as any other servant would. So I reached across the table to touch his hand, just resting my fingers over his. “Have some tea. The lemon might help a little.”

He smiled and sipped the tea, not moving his hand beneath mine. In the dim, flickering light, I found it difficult to read his expressions, and I wondered if I was too bold after all.

“How long did it take you to get back?”

“Eight days.” He hesitated, eyes bright on my face, and then said, “I wanted to see you again.”

I blushed. “I’m glad you’re back.” Perhaps I was too cautious. Perhaps he was; if he was afraid I’d be offended if he were bolder, he was wrong. Slowly and gently I interlaced my fingers with his long, strong ones. They were warm, and he opened his hand to let me do as I wished. I wondered if he thought I were some wild animal, and that he had to be so cautious in order not to scare me away. Or perhaps he did not know how to be bold with a woman. “I missed you.” The words did not help the heat fade from my face, but I was glad I said them.

He tightened his hand on mine, grip still gentle but more firm now, and he lowered his head to kiss my fingers. His lips were warm, and I wished they lingered longer. I smiled at him as he looked up again.

I asked him about Rikuto as he ate, and he told me about the Rikutan court, how Ashmu Tafari welcomed him, the Rikutan music and Tafari’s garden. He told me about the sad beauty of the countryside, how the farms were slowly beginning to thrive again, though drought still plagued them. He didn’t ask much, just whether I’d been well, and about Lani, whether she’d met any potential suitors during his absence. He reached across the table once to touch my hand again, and I slipped my fingers between his.

His voice rasped a little with tiredness, and I knew I’d stayed far too long, though he didn’t seem eager to have me leave. It must have been near dawn; my eyes were burning, and I imagine his were too. Finally I stood and bid him goodnight. I let myself run my hand across his shoulders as I stepped around his chair, and he caught my hand and brought it to his lips. The kiss was too short, too chaste, and my hand lingered in his.

I smiled at him, and he smiled back, green eyes clear and gentle. I felt his gaze on me as I carried the tray out of the room, and the warmth of it made me smile all the way to the kitchen.

~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post Extra: A Cold Wind – Scene from Riona’s Point of View appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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Funny Ways People Have Found My Website

First, if you found my site through some strange combination of search terms… welcome! No matter how you got here, I’m glad to have you as a reader for as long as you stay.

I haven’t paid much attention to my website stats as I’ve been working on this blogging thing. The stats tend to make me feel like the effort I put into the blog isn’t really worth it, that no one is reading after all. But sometimes I check out the stats, especially how people are finding my site, and there are some pretty funny search terms that lead people here.

Many of the search terms make sense… searches relating to some of the characters I’ve mentioned I like, books and movies I’ve enjoyed, or writing and publishing information I’ve shared, particularly on worldbuilding. Even some of these are a little odd, though… “how to be like Edmond Dantes” (in what way? unjustly imprisoned, ridiculously rich, vengeful, or forgiving?), “you’re jean valjean” (I think there was only the one, but still… this makes me think of some interesting stories), and “stares into the fire, her eyes glowing” (I don’t think I have this phrase, but I imagine the searcher was looking for something in particular). I like “must have fantasy authors”… I’d love to think I’m on that list!

Some of the search terms make me laugh, though. Here are some of my favorites so far:

Shall I write a novel if I don’t necessarily have to publish it?

Shall you? I have no idea. You should write it only if you want to write it. Publishing is not the only, or even the most important, reason you should write. Write a novel if you want to write a novel. Write a novel if you want to experiment with writing long form fiction. Write a novel if you want to say “I wrote a novel.” Write a novel if you have a burning desire to write that story in your head, the one that keeps you up at night thinking about it.

But don’t write a novel because you want to be a famous published novelist. Fame and publishing success (as measured in critical acclaim and/or in royalties/money) come to a very very lucky, talented, select few, for reasons that are not entirely under the author’s control. Even the biggest, most powerful traditional publishers can’t simply make a runaway bestseller… they can affect how much publicity a book gets, they can get great cover art, great editing, and everything else, but they can’t make people like the book. Publishing success and popularity are and always will be a little bit of a mystery.

Writing a great book is an important step toward whatever publishing success you’re aiming for, but it isn’t sufficient, and it may not even be necessary (if you doubt this, check out the raging internet firestorms over the quality of writing in Twilight, or Fifty Shades of Gray, or any other popular book that people love to hate). Sometimes books become popular because they hit a particular trend at just the right time, not because they were profoundly wonderful but because they were acceptable and just ahead of a trend.

Writing a novel is a lot of work. Writing a good novel is even more work! Writing can be therapeutic, fun, relaxing, stressful, cathartic, and almost anything else you make it. But writing is almost never a quick route to fame and riches. Even the overnight successes wrote for years before their “overnight success.” Write because you want to write, not because you want the acclaim that might-but-probably-won’t come after publication.

Elf named CJ

I am not an elf. I am human. Also, I’m not aware of any books with elves named CJ, but I haven’t actually read many books with elves in them. If you know of this book, please let me know!

C. J. Brightley is a pen name. I have a career consulting for the government that I want to keep distinctly separate from my fantasy writing. I have also edited professional publications under my real name, and I don’t want them showing up in the same searches on Amazon or anywhere else. As much as I love fantasy, I don’t want my professional connections to take me less seriously because I might write about dragons, swashbuckling adventurers, kings, soldiers, and Fae. Some of my professional associates do know my pen name, so I’m not completely incognito; it’s more an attempt to keep it from coming up in casual internet searches or being obvious to a work acquaintance looking me up after a quick meeting.

C. is my real first initial and J. is the initial of my middle name (which is technically no longer part of my name, since I took my maiden name as my middle name when I married, but still… it’s mine). Brightley is a name that I made up, with the E before Y in order to make it look more like a name and to make it more easily findable on the internet. Also, the URL was available, which is actually an important consideration when trying to create an internet presence from scratch.

However, although I write under a pen name, the personality you see on my blog is real. I want to be honest about my journey as an indie author and the struggles and successes of writing and publishing. If you have questions, please ask!

author vanity

Hm. I hope this is a reference to vanity publishing, the fine line between self-publishing and vanity publishing, and how to avoid being scammed by predatory vanity presses. I hope it’s not a reference to authors being vain… if so, you won’t find any of that here! Instead, I’ll be posting in the next few weeks about confidence as an author. I think few but perhaps the most successful authors even have the opportunity to develop arrogance about their writing. Instead, most authors I know or have read about struggle with confidence in their own writing. Reading reviews can be encouraging, but it can also be profoundly demoralizing when readers or critics don’t get what you’re trying to do* with a given story or character, or when they “get it” but don’t like it for some reason.

That’s not unusual, either… even the greatest works of literature have unflattering reviews. Check out the Amazon reviews of A Tale of Two Cities or any of your favorite books. Chances are, if more than a few people have read it, someone didn’t like something about it. Perhaps emphatically.

Even without negative reviews, writing can feel lonely, and that can be discouraging too. If sales aren’t stellar, reviews aren’t all fantastic (or you can’t seem to get reviews at all), writing can feel like a lot of work with nothing to show for it. That doesn’t mean that writing isn’t “worth it,” but it is a pretty strong damper to any burgeoning arrogance.

If you’re not an author and you’re looking up author vanity, I hope you haven’t run across an author or writer who thinks they’re better than you are. If so, I’m truly sorry, and you won’t find any of that nonsense here. Writing is a thing we do, hopefully for fun, and also because sometimes we earn money from it. It’s a hobby or a profession (sometimes both). It’s not a proof of personal awesomeness. Don’t feel down because you’re not an author! If you read, you’re the reason we write. You are important.

*Note for authors: readers not “getting it” isn’t necessarily their fault, nor is it necessarily your fault as the author. Like most things in writing, it’s somewhat subjective. Readers have different expectations, and some readers wouldn’t “get it” if it was spelled out in explicit detail, and others might not “get it” because your writing didn’t convey at all what you intended it to. This is why multiple beta readers with different perspectives can be so important, and why no single review is necessarily indicative of the quality of your writing. Check out my  experience with beta readers not getting it here, and what I learned from the experience.

Helpful hint: Don’t take even a harsh review or harsh comments from a critique partner personally. Identify what you can use from their comments (on that piece of writing or on future work), improve as much as you can, and let the hurt go. Don’t ever respond with anger or condescension. Be classy. If it’s a beta reader or critique partner, remember that they’re doing you a favor by reading your work. Thank them for their time and their thoughts, ask for clarification if necessary, and handle it with style. If it’s a reader commenting on a retail website or other public venue, it’s best not to respond at all. Their comments are generally intended to help other potential readers make a decision about whether to purchase your book… the conversation doesn’t include you (even if you think it should). Book bloggers deserve thanks for the time and effort they put in.

financial book by brightley

I have not written any financial books, sorry. I haven’t released much financial information here about my writing income, although I might in the future if people are interested. I will note again that writing is not a quick and easy way to fame and fortune. If I do ever release financial info, it will be in the context of “Slow and steady can indeed lead to a reasonable income, and these are the strategies that worked for me,” rather than “Look how easy it was for me! If it’s not easy for you, you’re doing it wrong.”

Searches that just confuse me:

please check them and let me know your feedback: This seems like it could be on any of a million websites… how did this reader end up here?

a short story about a photographer that work late at night and trying to reach an important goal brainstorm: Sorry, I don’t have any of these. I’m not sure why this reader ended up at my site.

Why aren’t ghosts in heaven? As a theological question, I don’t believe in “ghosts” and I’m not sure how this reader ended up here either.

If you’re a blogger, what funny ways did people end up at your site? If you’re a reader, welcome again! Whether you meant to be here or not, please stick around for a while.

~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post Funny Ways People Have Found My Website appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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A Writing Soundtrack for A Long Forgotten Song

This is a playlist that I’ve been listening to while I work on A Long Forgotten Song, my new Christian urban fantasy supernatural thriller series. Unfortunately I can’t figure out how to reorder the songs, so it’s not exactly the order I want, but oh well.

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Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post A Writing Soundtrack for A Long Forgotten Song appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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Interview: His Royal Highness Hakan Ithel (and C. J. Brightley)

Val of Silk Screen Views was kind enough to interview me in conjunction with a review of The King’s Sword. His Royal Highness Hakan Ithel was also gracious enough to appear for an interview! Thank you, Val, for the review and interviews, and thank you to Silk Screen Views for hosting us.

~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

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Writing Goals 2014

One of the things I’ve realized about my writing is that it’s easy for me to write and edit and write and edit and write and edit some more and then rethink everything and lose confidence and…. never actually finish a piece.

There are a few reasons for that: lack of planning (I tend toward pantsing, as in writing by the seat of my pants, even though planning would probably work better for me), lack of focused time to really dive into my work and figure out where I am and what needs to be done, and most of all, lack of confidence. So this year I’m not only setting goals for my writing, but actually planning and preparing to meet those goals.

I’m also making them public, so you all can hold me accountable!

Publish Erdemen Honor 3 – March 2014 (currently being reworked)
Publish A Long Forgotten Song 1 – April 2014 (solid draft complete, currently in edit)
Publish A Long Forgotten Song 2 – July 2014 (solid but incomplete draft complete, to be edited after the draft of EH3 is complete)
Solid first draft and at least some editing on A Long Forgotten Song 3 – November 2014
Significant planning, some drafting of A Long Forgotten Song 4
Publish 5 short stories
Publish 45 blog entries (not counting guest posts)
Write 150,000 words

You might notice, if you compare these goals to what I produced this year, that while I have a number of pieces lined up for publication, I’m not expecting to write quite as much next year as I did this year. Why? Because I have other, real-life excitement to share!

The Brightley family will be adding a new member… we’re expecting baby #2 on May 5, 2014! He’s a boy, and we’re all very excited. I’m trying to keep my goals realistic, because I have a bad habit of setting ridiculous goals for myself and then being incredibly unhappy when I fail to achieve the impossible. These goals should be doable, although they will still be challenging. When #1 was born, I had a pretty rough time physically, and although I hope and expect that this time will be better, I’m also trying to give myself the time I need without feeling guilty about it.

What are your plans for next year? Are you trying anything new? Traveling, writing, parenting… what adventures will 2014 bring you?

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Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post Writing Goals 2014 appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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What Makes a Hero?

One of the concepts I’ve found myself exploring through my writing is heroism. What makes a hero heroic? What makes a hero believable? What makes him (or her) interesting, charismatic, courageous, or just stubborn?

I don’t mean just a protagonist in the literary sense. A protagonist can be a hero, an anti-hero, or anything in between. I enjoy reading about all kinds of characters, but I find myself drawn to the heroes… the ones who do something truly great, even when it costs them everything.

So what makes a hero heroic?

Courage? Love? Self-sacrifice?

Physical Courage

It’s hard to imagine a hero without at least some physical courage. A hero doesn’t have to pick up a sword to be heroic, but they do need to be willing to take a stand, even when it costs something. This doesn’t mean much without moral courage, though. Bad guys can be physically brave, and they don’t draw me the way the good guys do. They can be interesting, even sympathetic, but they can’t be truly heroic.

Moral Courage

I think this is the most important. Moral courage makes physical courage worth more than just blood and guts. Standing up for what is right (or at least what you genuinely believe to be right) can be a terrifying thing. Even though characters aren’t perfect (and they shouldn’t be!) and make the wrong decisions sometimes, for me to see a character as a hero, they have to be at least trying to do the right thing.

Love

Is this a component of moral courage? Maybe… what do you think? Love is a choice, an action, but for some characters it’s just an overwhelming feeling. Is love as heroic when you can’t help but love, even when given every reason not to? Or is it more heroic when you don’t feel it but choose to act in love anyway?

Self-Sacrifice

There’s always some aspect of self-sacrifice in heroism, but it doesn’t have to be physical. A soldier dying for his country is heroic. But so is a man who cares for his wife with Alzheimers, year after year, slowly giving up pieces of his own life and freedom because he wants to be with her, care for her, and serve her as long as possible. What about a woman who gives up a great career to stay home with her newborn, because she truly believes it’s important for her child? Sure, there are emotional benefits to the mom too, but there is definitely self-sacrifice. Is that heroic? Is it brave? Do we not notice the heroism because we see it more often than the big dramatic acts?

The heroes in my books aren’t perfect, but I do want them to be heroes… heroes you can believe in, even though they’re flawed. If you look through my posts of characters I love, you’ll find a preponderance of heroes. Sure, there are some less-than-stellar characters in there, but most of them are pretty heroic in one way or another. They’re not all the main characters of the story, but there’s something heroic that makes me want to hug them, just for a minute, for being fantastic and brave and gutsy and choosing to do something magnificent when it really mattered.

What heroes do you love?
~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post What Makes a Hero? appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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Anniversary Post! Book Stats – 2013

On the first anniversary of publishing my first book, The King’s Sword, I thought it would be appropriate to post some statistics.

Books Published: 2 – The King’s Sword and A Cold Wind

Books in Progress: 4 – A Long Forgotten Song (publication in March 2014 – preorder here!), the as-yet-untitled sequel to A Long Forgotten Song (publication in April/May 2014), Book 3 in the Erdemen Honor series (also untitled, publication in March 2014?), and Book 4 in the Erdemen Honor series (publication TBD)

Books Backburnered: 2

Short Stories Published: 4 – Street Fox, Heroes, Color, and Basileus and the Cat

Short Stories in Progress: 2

Blog Posts: 52

Approximate Number of Words Written This Year (novels, short stories, and blog posts only): ~190,000

Is there anything else you’d like to know? I’m not confident enough in my sales numbers to reveal those yet. I’m satisfied with my progress, but I’m looking forward to more sales as I publish more work. I’ve had fun though, and I realize that sales don’t always come immediately. One of the most difficult things for self-published authors is simply being found. Publishing more books and short stories will help with that.

One of the things I’ve enjoyed the most this year is becoming a little more involved in the writing community. For years, I wrote by myself, for myself. I found a few great beta readers several years ago, but for real-life reasons we haven’t really been able to stay in touch. Although I’d still like to find a few more beta readers for specific works in progress, this year I’ve had the opportunity to just meet and chat with other authors.

~~~~~

Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post Anniversary Post! Book Stats – 2013 appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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Characters I Love – Ongoing List

A

 

B

Sir Percival Blakeney

C

the Marquis de Carabas

Sidney Carton

D

 Edmond Dantes (The Count of Monte Cristo)

E

 

F

 

G

Samwise Gamgee (Sam)

H

 

I

 

J

 

K

 

L

 

M

 

N

 

O

 

P

Puddleglum

Q

 

R

Reepicheep

S

 

T

 

U

 

V

Jean Valjean

W

Andrew “Ender” Wiggin

X

 

Y

 

Z

 

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Please connect with me on Facebook or Google+!

The post Characters I Love – Ongoing List appeared first on C. J. Brightley.

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