C.R. Richards's Blog, page 26

What Makes a Classic?

Is there anything better than getting lost in a good book? Yes – having your soul touched by a great book. The term “Classic Literature” is thrown around libraries and bookstores, but what does it really mean? What eternalizes a piece of literary work? What makes it a classic?

My Criteria List:

It contains a unique and unforgettable character.
It touches me with a profound truth.
This “profound truth” is timeless.

Earlier this season I posted the different types of summer readers (What Type of Summer Readers Are You?). If you’ve read it, you know I’m a “Squirrel! Chaser” Reader. Something (I can’t remember what) made me think about all those Charlie Chan movies I used to watch as a kid. I believe it was an article explaining how Earl Derr Biggers loosely based his classic character, Charlie Chan, off Honolulu Detective, Chang Apana. His first Charlie Chan novel, The House Without a Key, inspired the movie franchise.

Why is House Without a Key a classic? Let’s run it through my criteria list:

It contains a unique and unforgettable character – Charlie Chan. Enough said.

It touches me with a profound truth – One of the characters, John Quincy Winterslip, is pulled out of his comfortably normal life in Boston. He sets out across the country (a big deal in the 1920s), headed for Honolulu to fetch his wayward aunt. Forget the murder. Forget the colorful characters. Set aside the author’s groundbreaking representation of racial stereotypes for a moment.

It is John Quincy’s awakening as he sees San Francisco for the first time which really touches me. He has never been to the western united states, but feels sure he’s seen the city before. This begins a new awareness for the character. His true self begins to stir. He has taken his first step in becoming who he really was meant to be.

This “profound truth” is timeless – The book was written in the 1920s. As I read John Quincy’s account of seeing San Francisco for the first time and his further travels to the Islands, I was there with him. It took me back to my gypsy youth when traveling to new places awakened my soul. I found who I was meant to become by opening myself up to new adventures and cultures. This was true for restless souls from the beginning of time and will still remain true long after I’m gone.

We have so many options for entertainment in this age of technology. Books, movies, video games, streaming TV shows. Don’t forget the classics. These are the gems which make us think and feel deeply.

Look To Your Own Backyard

Stuck for inspiration? Have a story idea, but not sure where it takes place just yet? Look to your own backyard. Your hometown/ home state has a history. I know what you’re thinking. Yawn. Nothing interesting happens here. Are you sure about that? Delve a little. You may find some juicy history interesting to a reader who’s never been to your part of the country. Don’t forget about the folks like me who love old unsolved crimes or haunted places.

I’m one of the blessed souls who gets to live in the state of Colorado. Stunningly beautiful, impossibly mellow with the addition of our newest agricultural commodity (Puff. Puff.) and dripping with interesting history. Buffalo Bill, Annie Oakley, Sitting Bull, The Unsinkable Molly Brown…the list goes on. Denver is full of history (and ghosts), as is the rest of Colorado. It makes a great location for several genres.

Doing research on the early days of the Colorado and New Mexico Territories for my new Horror novella, The Hounds of Perdition, has been an amazing journey into the past. I walked into the story with preconceptions for certain simple details about life in 1865. Yep. You guessed it. They were all wrong. The Civil War had just ended in 1865, affording me the opportunity to throw two characters on opposite sides into the same bad situation. Indian attacks had risen to a high intensity, necessitating several forts to be built in the territories to protect settlers. Famine. Disease. Life wasn’t easy and civilized townships were far apart. In fact, Denver wasn’t established as the capital or recognized central government until a few years later.

Now it’s your turn. Check out your state’s history. Do any ideas come to mind? Good luck and have fun!

Book Addicts Unite

Indie Publishing is a journey. No wait. Maybe journey isn’t the right term. Indie Publishing is an exploration mission. There you go. Every path I take holds something new. It could be a new way to reach readers or a dead end. You never know until you get there.

This week my literary exploration vessel is mooring at the shores of Choosy Bookworm. I’m seeking a way to connect with new readers and hopefully get a few reviews for my urban fantasy, Pariah. They have a free “Read and Review” program I’m pretty excited about on two levels. Here’s how it works:

As an Author: I submitted my book for review by Choosy Bookworm. Quality checks are important to build trust with their reader community. They also accept pre-published books now. Big bonus. I plan to use this option for my upcoming epic fantasy, “The Lords of Valdeon.”

Pariah’s feature date started on July 14th. Readers select my book from a list of many others (the selection is awesome by the way) and commit to read it within 2 to 3 weeks. All this is free to the reader. Choosy Bookworm then sends me a list of names and emails at the end of the day. I “Gift” the readers a copy on Amazon and send them a thank you email, reminding them to put the all important disclaimer at the end of their review. This meets the Amazon TOS guidelines.

I listed Pariah for 30 Readers. There are still spots left. If you enjoy urban fantasy and would like to participate, here’s the link – Free Copy of Pariah. I’d love to hear your feedback on the book.

As a Reader: Talk about a Book Addicts dream! Choosy Bookworm features free books from a wide selection of genres. You’ve got your choice of new authors and pretty established favorites. I’ve found at least two books I’ve already read on their site. Oh pooh!

Free books. Personal contact with the author. What better way to sate a book addict’s cravings?  Here’s the link for Choosy Bookworm’s feature page – Awesome Free Books.

Seeing Your Art Through Another Pair of Eyes

I love what I do. Taking the merest glimmer of an idea and turning it into a tangible piece of art everyone can enjoy goes beyond descriptors. Researching. Writing. Yes – even the editing piece. All of it is pure love. There is one element, however, I absolutely dread. Marketing. (Yucky. Schmucky. Phooey.)

Don’t get me wrong. I love going to signings and conferences to meet readers. Chatting about books (not just mine) with other aficionados is always a good time. One-on-one. That’s my jam. Standing before a group of strangers, bearing my soul. Not my fav thing. Yet, other authors get up on their podium and kill it. They’re engaging, witty and insightful. As I sit in the audience, I’m usually in a state of awe at their performance.

How do they do it? They look so confident and even behave as if they’re having fun. I want to have fun and I want my audience to have fun too when it’s my turn up there. An idea hit me while I was at the World Horror Convention in Atlanta this year. Which group of creative folks takes a piece of literature and performs it on stage to the delight of an audience? Actors. If I took a few acting workshops, maybe I could learn how to improve my performances and have fun doing it?

I’m fortunate to live in a metro area like Denver. There is a huge theatre and indie film community here. I found a wonderful acting coach. We spent a full hour on one question I’m usually asked: “How did you get into writing?”

Why a full hour? As an actor, she has to dig deep into the meaning of words and motivation. My standard dull reply was challenged. I had to dig deeper. The result? She helped me see my art in a brand new way. It totally turned my point of view on its ear.

I highly recommend you seek out another artist from another art form and discuss your work. Seeing what you do from another creative perspective may surprise and challenge you.

Taking Stock at the Half Century Mark

Well, I made it! I turned 50 years old this week. Yep. I’m just as surprised as anyone. Who knew I’d make it through a hard partying gypsy lifestyle in my twenties? Or loss of loved ones and having to start over in the middle? I’ve crawled my way through a high pressure job which forced many of my colleagues into a five week “rest” all while dealing with a pain in the butt disease. What kept me going?

In a word: Dreams.

Everybody needs at least one. I’ve had many in my life, but one in particular has remained a constant since the third grade. My teacher (her name escapes me) held a short story contest for the class. I won. I believe it was that moment when the storytelling bug bit me. Today – the writing dream gives me joy and fulfillment no matter the level of monetary reward or acclaim I reach. Why so Zen about it? I’ve learned from my other Dreams.

Classical Pianist – I’ve played the piano since I could reach the keys. In high school, I won contests and performed in concerts.  I was absolutely sure I wanted to be a professional classical and jazz pianist. Then I entered college. The competitive and high pressure environment came as a shock. I remember sitting at my professor’s grand piano, getting ready to play the same fraking Mozart piece again (This time you must be perfect, Cynthia!) and realizing I hated playing the piano. College and my own aspirations had sucked the joy out of music for me. What did I learn? If there’s no joy in your dream, then it becomes a nightmare. Move on.

Freelance Journalist – Enter my gypsy period. I moved around quite a bit during this dream state. After interning at a radio station and entertainment rag in college, I hit the road to freelance in Phoenix and Anchorage. Very fun period of my life. However, it kept me poor. What did I learn? Everybody’s got to eat and have rent money. Get a real Career.

Information Technology Queen – I did get a real job and it made me some damn good money. Two houses and all the great toys. I lost them all during the dot.com crash. Then my years were focused on chasing titles and following the illusion of security. What did I learn besides money can’t make you happy? Shutting off your creative self will make you miserable.

Circling back, what’s my point? No matter what dream you pursue, do it with joy and no attachment to the outcome. Don’t chase money or fame. I’ve done both. Neither matter in the end. Seek joy and fulfillment instead. And don’t forget to have fun!

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Is Your Love Strong Enough?

Love or Infatuation? It’s never easy to tell. The heart may “want what it wants,” but it can be fickle. So – how can you tell if your love is real or just a passing fancy…for your Work In Progress (WIP)?

My older brother’s sage romantic advice: spend four seasons with the person. He theorizes this will give you the opportunity to see them for who they really are. Warts and all. Of course, my brother is on wife number 3, so not sure how sound the advice is for relationships. It does make good sense from a literary perspective.

Spring: Brand new love for the brand new story.

Summer: Things heat up as you finish the draft.

Autumn: You’re comfortable with the story and have hashed out all the plot problems.

Winter: Oh ’tis the Winter of our discontent as we move on to endless edits.

If you’ve followed this blog for a while, you’ve heard about my “on again off again” romance with an epic fantasy series called “The Heart of the Warrior.” I’ve been working on this behemoth since the early 2000s.  It’s been a bumpy ride. First it’s a dark fantasy, then I try to change it into something it’s not (YA). It gets pissed and walks out. I apologize with chocolates. We separate for a while as I see other characters. Eventually, I come crawling back. Why? Am I crazy or unhealthy (well, maybe a little)? Actually, I’m stoopid in love with the story. I’m so in love I’ve recently gone back to Book 1 Chapter 1 and started over again. There are five books in the series and I have committed to write and publish every single one of them whether they turn a profit or not. I hope my readers will love this story as much as I do, but if they don’t …doesn’t matter. I’m writing it anyway. Crazy stoopid in love. Yep.

So – Are you in love or infatuated? Will you stick by your work no matter what or are you wasting your time on something that doesn’t bring you joy? Trust me. I have a drawer full of story ideas I’ve walked away from. Not wasting my time on something I know is a dead end.

Reality Check List:

Are you as excited about your WIP six months or more into it as you were when you first had the idea?
You’ve just finished reading your rough draft after having let it sit for a while. Do you still care about the story? Are you willing to make the year plus commitment to edit, publish and market it? Or is there another project you’d rather be doing?
For Series: Visualize your readers clamoring for more stories. Can you see yourself writing more books about these characters? Or are you done with them (aka should this book be a standalone)?

No matter what you decide to do with your WIP, enjoy the journey. It’s a tough one. Why not travel with characters you love?

What Type of Summer Reader Are You?

Ah Summer. I love it. Time for barbeques, Fourth of July celebrations, vacation and a break from the snow! Most evenings you’ll find me sitting on my back porch reading one of the many books I have on my Summer Reading List. Goodreads.com is an invaluable tool for veracious readers like me. I’ll admit there are still times I get a few chapters into a book and realize I’ve already read it.

So many books, so little time. In my youth, I used to pick up either a “must read” contemporary book list from my local library or a list of classic books. I usually went for the classics. Even back then I knew I wanted to be a writer. How do you learn to write? You read the masters. I’d stick to my reading list and check off the books I’d read. It was a serious pursuit for me back then. After all, why wait until college (You know. When I got old.) to enjoy such masterful works as Jane Austin, Thomas Hardy, Henry David Thoreau or Robert Lewis Stevenson?

Things are a bit different now for many of us. Books are available 24/7 at our fingertips. We have so many choices (including the classics) of what to read and how to read. So – Which type of Summer Reader are you?

The Type A Lister – This person has a strategic plan. Their Goodreads.com “to read” list is organized in the order they plan to read their books. They stick to the list, taking one book at a time.

The Browsers – These folks scan the shelves at supermarkets and bookstores (brick and mortar as well as digital). They snap up an interesting looking book and take it home to read when the mood strikes.

The “Squirrel!” Chaser (This is me, by the way) – The intention for these readers are pure. They start off with a plan on Goodreads.com, but it’s pretty loose. Book in hand, they find a quiet place to sit and read. Then here comes a message from BookBub. OMG! Books on sale. What? Some of them are free? Clickety. Click. Click. Sold. These folks are a challenge for the Facebook and Amazon algorithms. One month we’re reading Horror. The next we’ve turned our attention to Fantasy or Mystery.

No matter what type of Summer Reader you are, enjoy the books you’ve chosen or are about to choose.

Find me on Goodreads.com. My handle is C.R. Richards

A Garden Limerick

A Garden Limerick by C.R. Richards (A warped mind, but a peaceful garden)

There once was a Faerie named Laerie

who was looking for his first bachelor abode.

He found one ideal to have his first meal, but

it didn’t have an indoor commode.

A pretty young thing above him did swing.

He was ready to have a new fling.

He whistled and waved.

His time he should save.

Laerie moved a bit closer in order to coax her.

Perhaps she would cave.

He had something to prove.

He gave her his best move.

The lass remained silent.

Nay, even defiant.

Playing the clown, he spun her around.

He was ready to show too much brass.

He nearly fainted. The statue was painted.

Never fall for a girl made of glass.

Guest Post: Aurora Styles

As if being hunted by assassins, secretly assisting the Gallic rebellion against Rome, and learning about her favorite rebel pirate isn’t enough to keep a princess busy, Freya learns she has magical powers. Magic she cannot control. Oh, and she’s also the daughter of immortals. Mistaken for a supporter of Rome by the man she fantasizes about, Freya is kidnapped by the rakish corsair, Siegfried the Fox. She has dreamed of this moment for years, fantasized of the wicked things the sexy swashbuckler would do to his fair captive. Only he has no idea of her desires, and she wants to keep it that way. No sense in appearing desperate. All Siegfried wanted was to kidnap the princess for ransom, but he’s learning things seem to go awry when the seductive siren is involved. And that includes maintaining control of his darkest hungers. She stirs his need to protect her from those who want to dictate her magic while drawing on his desire to dominate, to punish…to enslave. Can Siegfried keep the klutzy princess safe—even from himself? Can Freya convince the swarthy bandit to accept both her willing submission and her love?

Purchase Information: Siren Slave or Siren Slave (paperback) [p8041] – $18.99 : The Wild Rose Press, Inc. – Wilder Roses

Author bio: Aurora Styles lives in the mountainous regions of Northeastern Pennsylvania. She fills up her free time by laughing with friends, sampling the rich (and greasy) local cuisine, and tasting the variety of craft beers. She keeps up with local current events, and prides herself on being active in her community. In the past, she has been involved with various causes, and wrote a newsletter for a third party.

Siren Slave is her first published novel, but she is already hard at work on the second. Aurora holds a Master’s Degree in creative writing.

 

Defining and Re-defining Success

Racines  (across the street from Channel 7 News) is a favorite hang out for Denver “creatives.” The food and drink are fab (writer bait) and the atmosphere is wonderful. A dear writer buddy and I lounged beneath the awning of their patio last night under the “ping ping” of a heavy June rain. The conversation turned to our favorite subject – writing.

We threw around thoughts about Traditional Publishing versus Indie Publishing and decided doing both was the best way to go. Then our ponderings turned to the allusive hunt for success. I know several published and unpublished writers. Each of us have the same set of fantasy goals:

Becoming more popular than Stephen King and J.K. Rowling put together
Live like Richard Castle (maybe without the bullets flying)
Have an entourage follow us about at conferences, carrying boxes of our books and sparkling water chilled to perfection

On the way home, my project manager hat appeared and I gave success a little more thought. In each new project, the folks who commission the project are the ones with the most skin in the game. They have to define the goals of the project and what success means to them.

I pulled out my invisible project charter template and began filling it out:

Q. – What are my goals for this new series, Heart of the Warrior, I’m about to publish?

A. – There are five books in the series. They’ve been sitting in rough draft form for over six years and I want to get them done.

Comment  – Okay. I think I may need to dig a little deeper.

Deeper Answer (aka why am I writing this series?) – I write to encourage and inspire through stories. This epic tale is about great sacrifice and selfless forgiveness after tragedy. It’s about saving a people who spurned you, because of the mixed blood in your veins. Even if it means you will give your life for them.

Here’s a little taste for the Heart of the Warrior Series. This is the back cover blurb from Book One: The Lords of Valdeon:

[Licensed use from ShutterStock.com]

A new series from Eppie Fantasy Fiction Award winner, C.R. Richards: The epic tale of two men begins. The first – a man of honor trying desperately to turn his country from civil war. The other – a boy struggling to discover his destiny before agents of evil find him first.

Coveted by two ancient enemies of a long forgotten age, the continent of Andara holds the key to victory in an endless struggle for dominance. Eight hundred years have passed since the god-like Jalora struck a bargain with the first King of Valdeon. The Lion Ring, symbol of the covenant and conduit of power, gives its bearer incredible abilities. The ring’s borrowed magic protects the people of Andara from covetous evil, but there is a price. As with most predators, the Lion Ring must feed. Only the blood of the D’Antoiné family line will satisfy its hunger.

A rival for Andara’s treasures, the Sarcion has waited impatiently for its time upon the land. Whispers of treason in the right ear aid its treachery. The King of Valdeon mysteriously disappears, leaving his lands in danger of a civil war by the hand of a murderous usurper. His Lion Ring is lost and the covenant is broken. The Jalora’s power begins to seep away from the land.  Evil’s foot hold grows stronger. Can the Lords of Valdeon, Sacred Guard of the covenant, stop the tides of war? Or will Andara fall into chaos? The future rests in the blood of a boy…