K.D. Pryor's Blog, page 4

The Portal’s Choice is FREE Thursday and Friday at Amazon Kindle

Picture courtesy of www.whoishostingthis.com

 

The Kindle version of The Portal’s Choice will be free this Thursday and Friday, July 18 and 19. If you haven’t picked up your copy yet, be sure to get it now at http://amzn.to/15yoO2R

 

 

Back From France

Standing stones, Carnac, Brittany, France

After eight great days in France, I had to come home and do laundry. Actually, it was great to get home even though I enjoyed the trip very much. And I came back with a better understanding of my next book, a short novel about Tallis Challinor, set in Carnac, France on the southern coast of Brittany. I can tell you that Tallis will have a chance to explore family ties in France while wandering among the amazing megalithic standing stones of the region.  And with such a dramatic and ancient setting, what do you bet she might find a portal???

I had a wonderful time exploring the area with my husband, James. One of our favorite things to do is to travel, and we’d never visited Carnac and the region before. I’ve included a couple of pictures. I’ll be posting photos on Pinterest, at http://pinterest.com/KDPryorbooks/boards/. You can also find photos, posted by my daughter, Shannon, at my Facebook page at https://www.facebook.com/KDPryorauthor.

Standing Stones, Carnac

Off To France

Carnac Stones, Brittany France
Photo Courtesy of: http://blog.world-mysteries.com/scien...

I’m heading on vacation to France for a week, and guess what? Tallis Challinor is coming along. Actually, she’s going on a short trip with her grandfather, Bradach Challinor, or GB. I’m going to tell you about their trip in a short book that will be available in the fall. But, before that, I will be sharing a few of the places Tallis will see while in France, the land of her ancestors. Keep an eye out for posts from France in the next week.

 

I’m wondering if these stones might be portals??? Maybe I’ll find out while I’m there.

Happy Reading,

KD

 

Find The Portal’s Choice eBook, On Sale Now!

Check out these links for your copy of The Portal’s Choice in eBook format, currently $0.99 through July 3:

PixelScroll –  http://pixelscroll.com/2013/06/28/0-99-ebook-pack-1-06-28-2013/

Bargain eBook Hunter – http://bargainebookhunter.com/category/bargain/

Location: Landry, New Hampshire

Picture of New Hampshire village. Photo courtesy of: http://www.kittlingbooks.com/2010/08/...

A fun part of writing has been the creation of a world within my book, The Portal’s Choice and one of the first steps in this process was to decide where Tallis Challinor and the rest of the characters in the book live. I decided to keep it easy and make the main setting close to home. My family and I live in a small town in Southern New Hampshire. I didn’t want to use a real town and then have to make certain that every detail in the book matched reality, so I created a town and named it Landry, New Hampshire.

How did I come up with the name Landry? First of all, I made certain that there wasn’t a real Landry, New Hampshire in existence. Then I looked for names of towns in New England and in England. I wrote down the ones that resonated, ones that sounded like they’d be pleasant, friendly places to live. And finally, I decided on Landry. Landry sounds like a safe, friendly place. No one would suspect that a deadly, devious group of spirits was hanging about a sweet, small town like Landry, waiting to do their worst. Whoo hoo,  I had a name.

What does Landry look like? Like a quaint New England village, of course. There is a downtown with fun, local shops and a large, public park where the community can gather. There are forested areas in and around the village for cycling and walking. And there are quaint older homes, well-preserved and lovely to see. And of course, there are many old cemeteries.

I have to confess that I also used another small town as I created Landry in my mind. My husband and I lived in Lawrence, Kansas when I was in law school and I must admit that Lawrence is stuck in my head when I see Landry. Landry has a long, busy main thoroughfare and so does Lawrence. I even lived on that busy street, as does Tallis. And there is a fun downtown area with lots of fabulous shops and places to eat in Lawrence. Just like Landry.

What I realized as I created my setting was that, while every part of the United States has its differences, there are many similarities between small towns. And that is what makes each small town or village charming. But of course, each is unique as well. So, while Landry may be a creation based on New England villages and small Midwestern towns, in the end it is a place of its own, and the home of Tallis Challinor.

The Portal’s Choice eBook is now $0.99

Check out Addicted to eBooks at http://addictedtoebooks.com/ where The Portal’s Choice is featured on the site. We’ve lowered the price of the eBook to $0.99 for this week, through July 3, 2013.

Happy Reading!

KD

Tallis Challinor: Where did she come from?

Image courtesy of http://www.sentimentalnakuhinja.com/p...

I’ve had several questions about the characters in The Portal’s Choice and how I came up with each of them. I’ve also had readers ask if the characters are based on people I know? Or on me? It’s time to see if I can answer these questions and I am going to start with Tallis Challinor.

When I first had the idea for The Portal’s Choice I only knew that I had a story about a connection that existed between an old house and an even older cemetery. I wasn’t sure if the protagonist was going to be an adult or a young adult. I wrote bits of the story from the point of view of Tallis’ aunt, Gabbie. But those sections didn’t sound right. Then I wrote a chapter, one that did stay in the book in very much the same form, from Tallis’ point of view. I tried it in third person and in first person. In the process I found out that Tallis had a definite personality and she wanted to share herself from a first person perspective. I didn’t have a choice. Tallis is a strong-willed kid.

Once I knew who the protagonist was, I needed to see her clearly. That led to the obvious question, “What does Tallis Challinor look like?” I can tell you that Tallis went through a few incarnations before I saw her clearly. At one point, she was very tall and thin. Somewhere in there she had red hair. Her eyes were brown. No green. She was a sloppy dresser. She was very neat and tidy. (I have teenagers so I quickly threw out that idea.) She was petite. She was overweight. She was, she was, she was…

I wrote all sorts of descriptions of Tallis in a gray, spiral bound notebook. I like looking back at that notebook from time to time just to trace the beginnings of Tallis through to the finished character. I ultimately figured out her look and her demeanor when I discovered her name. I’ve written in past blogs about my penchant for looking up names and their meanings as I develop my characters. The name Tallis jumped out at me and finally I saw the young woman in my head.

Tallis is a medium height with curly black hair and very blue eyes. She started out in The Portal’s Choice with a habit of munching on Peanut M&Ms. She liked to crunch on the candy and just having it around was a comfort. She’d gained weight as a result but I knew, and so did Tallis, that the weight was a protective barrier. She missed her parents, who had died. Her living situation with Uncle Craig and her cousin Hanna was stressful. And M&Ms were a coping mechanism. I had a feeling that she would change as her story progressed.

As important as Tallis’ physical description was to me as a writer, I needed to understand what motivated her even more. What drove her? What was most important to her? First and foremost, Tallis loves her family, especially her brother, Wyatt. She always includes Wyatt’s welfare in her decision-making. She loves him more than anyone else. So a prime motivation for Tallis is to protect the welfare of her brother.

I also determined that Tallis is a very courageous young woman, she simply needed to realize that herself. I believe that The Portal’s Choice is, in part, a story about making courageous choices even when they are difficult. Tallis did just that.  She has a sense of honor and a need to do what is right, not simply what is easy. She grew stronger as her courage was tested. And she learned about herself through challenges.

Essentially, Tallis is a very normal teenager. I have watched my kids and their friends face challenges and difficult situations. And they’ve learned and grown from these experiences. I suppose Tallis is like another one of my kids. Just as I enjoy watching them change and grow, I look forward to Tallis’ evolution as she and I create the next books together.

 

Picture courtesy of http://www.sentimentalnakuhinja.com/page/2/

Ten things you probably don’t know about me

I’ve written about my daughter, Shannon, before. She is my 17 year-old female voice. And I trust her judgment. But when I asked her to suggest a topic for a blog post and she said, “Tell your readers about you,” I was doubtful. What would I say? Would it be interesting to anyone? But Shannon told me to do it so here goes. Ten things about me, in no particular order.

I love chocolate. I wish that the ‘experts’ would deem chocolate a food group and recommend that we all eat 5 to 7 servings a day. What’s more, I wish that following such a suggestion would lead to automatic weight loss and guaranteed perfect health.
I love to travel. I have often told my husband that there is almost no place I wouldn’t visit, with the exception of places that are unsafe. Otherwise, I’d like to see it all.
I lived in India with my family. This one goes with number two. I got to travel a lot when I lived overseas. I’d gladly do it all over again.
My family has three cats. So, it follows that I love cats. Our cats are named Albus, Minerva and Thunder. If you are a fan of the Harry Potter  books, you will recognize Albus and Minerva as Professor Dumbledore and Professor McGonagall from the stories. Unfortunately, my cats aren’t magical, although are enchanting in their own way. I don’t know about Professor McGonagall, but our Minerva likes to have her butt scratched and howls through the house until someone complies. Albus and Minerva hail from Bangalore, India and returned from there with our family. Thunder joined us when we moved back to the States. He isn’t named for a book character, but his name definitely fits his personality.
I am a certified yoga teacher. I tried yoga for the first time after moving to India. I was hooked from class one. A year into my four years in India, I decided that being a yoga teacher was what I wanted to do. I don’t currently teach, but I hope to again in the future.
I went to law school and used to be a lawyer, for all of about 10 minutes. My first child, Andrew, was born soon after I finished law school and was sworn into the Kansas Bar. Ultimately, I decided to forego the law and hang out with my kids practicing mediation. (That is my way of saying I refereed squabbles between siblings.)  I loved law school but I definitely made the right choice for me.
My favorite childhood book is Little Women by Louisa May Alcott. I read it over and over again and it had a permanent home on my night table. I would finish one day and start again the next. Other favorites from my childhood include books by Madeline L’Engle, especially A Wrinkle in Time , and Are You There, God? It’s Me, Margaret  by Judy Blume. I loved the Nancy Drew series, and as I got a bit older I discovered Rebecca  by Daphne du Maurier. The gothic romance, Jane Eyre , by Charlotte Bronte is another all-time favorite.
I love jewelry, especially rings with gorgeous gemstones. Crystals and gems had to be a part of my book. My current favorites are citrine, green amethyst, and labradorite.
I love springtime when the snow finally melts, the grass starts to green, and the flowers start to bloom. I would happily live in a climate where the temperature remained between 45 and 80 degrees Fahrenheit year round.
I hate Dodge Ball. I was the kid in school who got picked last for the teams and then was repeatedly smacked by the ball. I was always glad to get out, which fortunately happened early in each round of the game. Yuck!!! I had to add one thing that I don’t really care for.

So there you have it. A list of ten things about me. That wasn’t too difficult for me to write. I hope it wasn’t too hard to read.

Albus and Minerva in India

Thunder – He considers the desk to be his. We humans are intruders.

Happy reading

KD

Books to Beta Readers

Back Row from left – KD Pryor, Lily, Courtney, Faith, Julia, Noah
Front row from left – Ana, Ellie, Caitlin, and Mrs. Allison

On June 6 my publisher, Katherine Mariaca-Sullivan, and I, met with my 8th grade beta readers and their teacher, Cheryl Allison. The purpose of our get together was to have pizza and allow me to give each student and Mrs. Allison a copy of The Portal’s Choice. The kids read the book for me prior to publication and met with me to provide feedback. They made several valuable suggestions that I incorporated into the book. I believe that, because of their input, The Portal’s Choice is a better book.

Since the initial meeting, the students and I have met weekly as a writing group in the school library, where we discuss different aspects of fiction writing including developing the story’s setting, getting to know the main character, and how to start a story so that it will immediately catch the interest of the reader.  I also presented a copy of The Portal’s Choice to the school librarian, Suzanne Haldane.

Weekend Reflections

It is Sunday evening. I spent much of this afternoon with my daughter Shannon pinning pictures of possible gatekeeper crystals to the Pinterest page for The Portal’s Choice. Shannon is my girl voice, my 17 year-old model for teenage female language and behavior. And she is graduating from high school next week and heading off to college. I am very glad to have had her so close as I wrote The Portal’s Choice.  Actually I’m glad to have had her close for the last 17 years. Still, I often wonder what I’m going to do when I get stuck writing The Forgotten Gate, book two in The Gatekeepers of Em’pyrean series and need a good word, or perfect phrase. She tells me to call. I will. But I know that she’ll be busy. It won’t be the same.

As I write, my two sons, Andrew, the oldest, and Jonathon, my youngest, arrive in the kitchen. Shannon will be back soon from a graduation party for one of her friends.  I am very happy that all three of them and my husband are here.  I remember sending Andrew to college and I recovered from that experience. I will survive my daughter’s leaving as well. And I will call them both when I miss hearing their voices. But for this evening, I am shutting down the computer for some quiet time with all of them out on our beautiful patio. Then, tomorrow I will get back to work on The Forgotten Gate while I have my female muse still in residence.