Michelle Lowery Combs's Blog, page 3
October 28, 2014
In the Army Now
Life has been different in the Lowery-Combs House since August when we reluctantly handed our oldest child over to the United States Army. It was a decision #1 made early on during his Senior year of high school so we knew his leaving was coming after graduation in May. That, however, didn’t make it any easier to watch him being driven away from our local recruitment station in a van full of other young recruits without knowing when we’d next hear from him.
I cried for ten days straight.Every time I folded a load of laundry, went to the grocery store, cooked a meal, or heard one of my other children walk through the door after school, I cried for the son who I’d not be tending to, feeding, or greeting at the end of a day for perhaps a very long time if ever again—my son would be a man when I saw him again, after all, and a soldier, highly trained to be capable, responsible and self-sufficient. I mourned for the boy who counted on me for matching socks and clean underwear, the boy who preferred his sandwiches prepared without any condiments, please, and kissed me goodnight every night before bed when his much younger siblings had stopped doing so years ago.
I worried constantly. Was #1 truly prepared for the harshness of a Drill Sergeant whose job it was to transform him from a boy civilian to a combat-ready warrior? Was he physically ready for training? How would he cope with too little sleep and barely enough food to function? Was he regretting his decision to join? What would his fellow trainees be like? Would they support one another? And what about all those guns? He’d shot one of our garage windows out with a pellet gun a few weeks before his high school graduation, and now someone was going to put a M4, a few grenades and a rocket launcher in his hands?
With his absence I came to appreciate anew many of my son’s attributes that I began to understand would make him a successful soldier. He’d been the first of my children to lend a hand when needed. He was my go-to for errands in town. I could trust him implicitly with my car, debit card, and important family business. He had a knack for keeping his younger siblings from killing one another in my absence, even when they drove him completely nuts. He accepted responsibility and rarely complained. He was quick and strong. He respected authority. He had great manners. I recited these qualities to myself day and night whenever doubt and fear about how he was holding up crept in.
For almost three agonizing weeks our family waited for word from our SIT (Soldier in Training), during which time I joined a Facebook group for families with trainees at his Army base. Having others to talk to with similar worries and questions helped tremendously, and I learned a good deal about the BCT (Basic Combat Training) and OSUT (One Station Unit Training) experiences. I was also introduced to a site that published training photos for purchase. Seeing with my own eyes #1 training and apparently succeeding did more to ease my apprehension than probably anything else. His father had teased me in the beginning about my cyber-stalking of his base and platoon, my pouring over hundreds of photos, hoping for even a glimpse of our son, but when I had pictures of #1 to show for it, his dad was thrilled that I’d been so determined.
The following weeks were tough, but through photos we watched our son and his Company complete rope courses and land navigation exercises, exit a gas chamber (gagging, weepy and snotty), throw grenades and fire an assortment of American Military weapons. Through his letters, we learned about the physical and mental challenges #1 was overcoming as well. With few and unpredictable phone calls we gauged the success of his platoon. In some ways, I hardly recognized the man my boy was becoming with every passing week. I wondered how the experience was changing him in other ways. How would he be when we saw him in late October for Family Day?
This past weekend I got my answer. #1 is doing GREAT! He’s healthy, disciplined and focused. He was a little tired and always, always hungry; but he loves the Army and is ready to complete his training. He had a few stories to tell…he’s been able to see both the humor and critical importance of his experiences so far. There was a new tenderness between him and his brothers and sisters that comforted me and warmed my heart. He could tell how much he’s been missed. It was a great visit but bitter sweet, too. It was hard to watch him have to turn and walk away from us again.
The Gang's All Here
"Reunited, and it feels so good!"
We think Danann may have found her calling.
Big Brother to the Rescue!
As he enters his second phase of training, I have less trepidation. My son is an American Soldier. He’s got this. Hearing him recite, with his Company, The Soldier’s Creed was the only assurance of that I needed. We still miss his everyday presence in our home—I still get teary eyed over the last pork chop in a pan that would have been his—but we hold him closer in our hearts than ever before. We’re in the Army now, and we couldn’t be prouder. Hooah!
I cried for ten days straight.Every time I folded a load of laundry, went to the grocery store, cooked a meal, or heard one of my other children walk through the door after school, I cried for the son who I’d not be tending to, feeding, or greeting at the end of a day for perhaps a very long time if ever again—my son would be a man when I saw him again, after all, and a soldier, highly trained to be capable, responsible and self-sufficient. I mourned for the boy who counted on me for matching socks and clean underwear, the boy who preferred his sandwiches prepared without any condiments, please, and kissed me goodnight every night before bed when his much younger siblings had stopped doing so years ago.
I worried constantly. Was #1 truly prepared for the harshness of a Drill Sergeant whose job it was to transform him from a boy civilian to a combat-ready warrior? Was he physically ready for training? How would he cope with too little sleep and barely enough food to function? Was he regretting his decision to join? What would his fellow trainees be like? Would they support one another? And what about all those guns? He’d shot one of our garage windows out with a pellet gun a few weeks before his high school graduation, and now someone was going to put a M4, a few grenades and a rocket launcher in his hands?
With his absence I came to appreciate anew many of my son’s attributes that I began to understand would make him a successful soldier. He’d been the first of my children to lend a hand when needed. He was my go-to for errands in town. I could trust him implicitly with my car, debit card, and important family business. He had a knack for keeping his younger siblings from killing one another in my absence, even when they drove him completely nuts. He accepted responsibility and rarely complained. He was quick and strong. He respected authority. He had great manners. I recited these qualities to myself day and night whenever doubt and fear about how he was holding up crept in.
For almost three agonizing weeks our family waited for word from our SIT (Soldier in Training), during which time I joined a Facebook group for families with trainees at his Army base. Having others to talk to with similar worries and questions helped tremendously, and I learned a good deal about the BCT (Basic Combat Training) and OSUT (One Station Unit Training) experiences. I was also introduced to a site that published training photos for purchase. Seeing with my own eyes #1 training and apparently succeeding did more to ease my apprehension than probably anything else. His father had teased me in the beginning about my cyber-stalking of his base and platoon, my pouring over hundreds of photos, hoping for even a glimpse of our son, but when I had pictures of #1 to show for it, his dad was thrilled that I’d been so determined.
The following weeks were tough, but through photos we watched our son and his Company complete rope courses and land navigation exercises, exit a gas chamber (gagging, weepy and snotty), throw grenades and fire an assortment of American Military weapons. Through his letters, we learned about the physical and mental challenges #1 was overcoming as well. With few and unpredictable phone calls we gauged the success of his platoon. In some ways, I hardly recognized the man my boy was becoming with every passing week. I wondered how the experience was changing him in other ways. How would he be when we saw him in late October for Family Day?
This past weekend I got my answer. #1 is doing GREAT! He’s healthy, disciplined and focused. He was a little tired and always, always hungry; but he loves the Army and is ready to complete his training. He had a few stories to tell…he’s been able to see both the humor and critical importance of his experiences so far. There was a new tenderness between him and his brothers and sisters that comforted me and warmed my heart. He could tell how much he’s been missed. It was a great visit but bitter sweet, too. It was hard to watch him have to turn and walk away from us again.
The Gang's All Here
"Reunited, and it feels so good!"
We think Danann may have found her calling.
Big Brother to the Rescue!As he enters his second phase of training, I have less trepidation. My son is an American Soldier. He’s got this. Hearing him recite, with his Company, The Soldier’s Creed was the only assurance of that I needed. We still miss his everyday presence in our home—I still get teary eyed over the last pork chop in a pan that would have been his—but we hold him closer in our hearts than ever before. We’re in the Army now, and we couldn’t be prouder. Hooah!
September 17, 2014
Amalia Dillin Guest Post & Giveaway
BEYOND FATE Character Spotlight: Elah the Goddess
BEYOND FATE introduces us to some new characters, and while I don’t want to spoil anything for you, I did want to talk a little bit about Adam and Eve’s daughter, the Goddess Elah.
Writing Elah was a huge challenge for me, because inside the Fate of the Gods world, she’s the next level up in terms of power and omniscience. Unlike Thor or Athena, she has her fingers in every pie, parts of her (and Elohim’s) spirit spread throughout Creation, from the Host to the men and women and children born and living every day. She has only to look and the world is revealed through their eyes.
But that also makes her less human, and less understandable. Thor is a god of the common man, with his goats and his drinking and brawling, but Elah is something else altogether. In many ways, she IS Creation, and it is only through her will that the world as Eve and Adam and Thor know it is maintained. It’s a lot of responsibility, and for Elah, likely a lonely position to be in – there are very few others who operate at her level. And of those residing on earth, Bhagavan is likely the singular exception. Which makes him, potentially, her most powerful enemy, too.
I settled for writing her as I would any other character – a third person limited approach. But I couldn’t help but wonder how much more I was missing. Is there a constant stream of information in the back of her mind? How does she sort through it all, if so? Is it like Adam and Eve, where they have to make a conscious choice to read the mind of a person near them, or does she just see every thought, even the deepest darkest secrets, unless she makes a conscious decision not to? How disconcerting would that be to the people around her?
And I’m not the only one who wonders about the answers to those questions or who worries about how much Elah knows, or might discover. There are plenty of Fate of the Gods characters who are deeply concerned for their privacy as well –
But you’ll have to read BEYOND FATE to find out how they cope with the new and very powerful Goddess in their midst!
Here's your chance to win a copy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. Her short stories have been published by Daily Science Fiction and Birdville magazine, and she's also the author of the FATE OF THE GODS series and HONOR AMONG ORCS, the first book in the Orc Saga. Amalia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats--to pull her chariot through the sky, of course.
Learn more about Amalia at www.amaliadillin.com.
More from Amalia Dillin and the Fate of the Gods series:
BEYOND FATE introduces us to some new characters, and while I don’t want to spoil anything for you, I did want to talk a little bit about Adam and Eve’s daughter, the Goddess Elah.
Writing Elah was a huge challenge for me, because inside the Fate of the Gods world, she’s the next level up in terms of power and omniscience. Unlike Thor or Athena, she has her fingers in every pie, parts of her (and Elohim’s) spirit spread throughout Creation, from the Host to the men and women and children born and living every day. She has only to look and the world is revealed through their eyes.
But that also makes her less human, and less understandable. Thor is a god of the common man, with his goats and his drinking and brawling, but Elah is something else altogether. In many ways, she IS Creation, and it is only through her will that the world as Eve and Adam and Thor know it is maintained. It’s a lot of responsibility, and for Elah, likely a lonely position to be in – there are very few others who operate at her level. And of those residing on earth, Bhagavan is likely the singular exception. Which makes him, potentially, her most powerful enemy, too.
I settled for writing her as I would any other character – a third person limited approach. But I couldn’t help but wonder how much more I was missing. Is there a constant stream of information in the back of her mind? How does she sort through it all, if so? Is it like Adam and Eve, where they have to make a conscious choice to read the mind of a person near them, or does she just see every thought, even the deepest darkest secrets, unless she makes a conscious decision not to? How disconcerting would that be to the people around her?
And I’m not the only one who wonders about the answers to those questions or who worries about how much Elah knows, or might discover. There are plenty of Fate of the Gods characters who are deeply concerned for their privacy as well –
But you’ll have to read BEYOND FATE to find out how they cope with the new and very powerful Goddess in their midst!
Here's your chance to win a copy!
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Amalia Dillin began as a Biology major before taking Latin and falling in love with old heroes and older gods. After that, she couldn't stop writing about them, with the occasional break for more contemporary subjects. Her short stories have been published by Daily Science Fiction and Birdville magazine, and she's also the author of the FATE OF THE GODS series and HONOR AMONG ORCS, the first book in the Orc Saga. Amalia lives in upstate New York with her husband, and dreams of the day when she will own goats--to pull her chariot through the sky, of course.
Learn more about Amalia at www.amaliadillin.com.
More from Amalia Dillin and the Fate of the Gods series:
September 10, 2014
Nekked and Afraid
A fully-grown butt nekked man ran into the street in front of my minivan at 3:30 p.m. today. I’ll wait while you reread that sentence.
Nekked Man sprang from the bushes on the left side of the rural road I happened to be traveling, dashed across the black top with all the grace and enthusiasm of a baby elephant, and then halted before turning to…urm…face me.
Naturally I was alarmed. At 36 years-old, I have never seen a fully-grown nekked man in broad daylight in the Great Outdoors. I took my foot off the accelerator and scanned the left side of the road, looking for whatever may have sent Nekked Man scurrying into the street after apparently devouring only his clothing, but saw nothing. I dared a few glances at Nekked himself, trying to decipher if he was injured or bleeding, but too embarrassed to look at his face. And that’s when things got…interesting.
It took me a second to realize that Nekked was just kind of standing there. Despite the ample overgrowth along the right side of the road, Nekked didn’t throw himself into the bushes or attempt to conceal himself in any way. He just stood there: tall, virtually hairless, and glowing fishbelly white in the afternoon sunshine.
Like any good Southerner, I knew what must be done when confronted with a roving nekked man during peak school bus traffic hours. At a stop sign in the fork of the road, out of sight from Nekked, I called The Law.
A friendly receptionist at my local Sheriff’s Office answered the phone. “Hello,” I said, “I need to…urm…make a report.”
“I’m sorry, m’am, but you can’t make a report over the phone, you have to come in to do that.”
Crap! Guess I should have called 911. Nekked’s junk, while impressive, hadn’t seemed to warrant an actual emergency call.
“Um, well, I only needed to let someone know that there is a fully-grown nekked man running across and along Old Sulpher Springs Road in Alexandria right this very minute.”
“Let me transfer you to Dispatch,” Ms. Friendly answered.
Dispatch had a few questions for me that I was ill prepared to answer. Specifically, they wanted to know if I could provide a description of Nekked.
“Well, not really,” I said. “He was white, tall, adult, and well…nekked. To be honest when I saw that he didn’t look hurt and that he wasn’t gonna try and hide his nekkedness from me, I was afraid to look directly at him. I’m pretty sure he’s the only nekked man you’re gonna come across out there this time of day, though.”
I have done nothing the rest of this afternoon but wonder if The Law caught up with Nekked. I am most likely to live another thirty-six years without ever again encountering anyone like him. The thought fills me with both immense relief and weird disappointment. Thanks for the memories, Nekked!
August 22, 2014
My Respite From YA: A Spotlight on Blood Chimera by Jenn Lyons
Faithful readers and followers know that I am a huge YA fan. That doesn't mean, however, that I don't also enjoy novels geared more toward adult readers. On the rare occasion that I feel like a full-fledged grownup, or when I'm simply in need of a respite from the angst and turmoil that is coming-of-age while attempting to thwart an enemy even greater than Calculus--like say an entire dystopian government--I often turn to paranormal mystery.
Parts fiction, fantasy, and horror, the basic structure of a paranormal mystery is that of a mystery story...more often than not, a detective mystery. Someone has been murdered or some other serious crime has been committed. Who (or what) did it? Because it's paranormal, that answer could range from vampires, ghosts, or werewolves to a myriad of other dark fantastical beings. Awesome, huh? And what better escape from reliving over and over again (the sometimes funk of) maturing into a young adult?
Susan Abel Sullivan's Cleo Tidwell series has been a recent favorite, so when I began to feel particularly grownup this week, I was delighted to discover another of World Weaver Press's latest paranormal mystery releases: Blood Chimera by Jenn Lyons.
Here's what you need to know:
Some ransoms aren’t meant to be paid. Kidnap and Ransom negotiation used to be straightforward. The bad guys kidnap someone, and K&R expert Jackson Pastor negotiates their release, skillfully traversing a maze of bloodthirsty monsters: criminals, terrorists, police, and especially the FBI.But that was before he met real bloodthirsty monsters.When Jackson Pastor arrives in Los Angeles to help a new client recover his kidnapped wife, he finds himself dropped in the middle of a 500-year-old war between rival European and Mexican vampire clans, a conflict that threatens to escalate into a full-on public gang war. Worse, Jackson hasn’t been brought to Los Angeles to be a negotiator.His new boss wants to turn him into an assassin.With Jackson about to be caught in the middle of a war, his only hope of escape may lie with a secret FBI monster-hunting task-force led by a very dangerous, eccentric wizard.Which could be a problem, since Jackson’s a monster himself.Blood Chimera is a gritty, noir-style mystery of paranormal proportions where nothing is as it seems, not even the term vampire.
Excerpt:
“How are you feeling, Mr. Pastor?”
I looked down at myself. I seemed to be hale and hearty enough, with all the right number of limbs in all the right places. My ribs didn’t ache when I breathed and my arm wasn’t swollen. I felt great, but I looked ready to play one of the walking dead. “Like I need a bath,” I told him. “And clothes would be nice.” There’s nothing quite like being naked and filthy in front of a lot of people who aren’t, to make you all self-conscious about it.
He nodded. “You’ve looked better.”
“Why do you have me in a cage?” I shook my head. “What happened?”
“I would think the reasons for the cage would be obvious. You don’t remember?”
“No, of course I don’t remember. I was Tez’s prisoner and then--” I looked over at the carcass in the corner. I swallowed. “Who did that?”
“You did.” Darius said as he took a swig of his beer. “You also wrecked one of my vans.” He pointed to an unmarked black van over in the garage area. The back doors were hanging awkwardly and the metal was twisted. Great gouges had been raked into the door and sides as if something had tried to smash its way out with some kind of very sharp ram.
I blinked at that. “That--that couldn’t have been me. I didn’t--”
“Oh, you very much did. We had a hell of a time getting you back here. We were lucky you were stunned by the explosions, and even luckier that we had tranq darts. That--” he pointed to the rotting, fly-infested pile of flesh using the long black feather. “--used to be a pair of goats. Juan thought you might revert if we fed you something. As it happens, he was right.”
I felt sick to my stomach, and, although I certainly wasn’t going to mention it to Darius, a bit peckish.
Goat wasn’t as filling as human.
Read it now, direct from World Weaver Press in ebook or trade paperback, or from any of these retailers:
Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Add to Goodreads!
Jenn Lyons lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three cats and a lot of opinions on anything from Sumerian creation myths to the correct way to make a martini. At various points in her life, she has wanted to be an archaeologist, anthropologist, architect, diamond cutter, fashion illustrator, graphic designer, or Batman. Turning from such obvious trades, she is now a video game producer by day, and spends her evenings writing science fiction and fantasy. When not writing, she can be found debating the Oxford comma and Joss Whedon’s oeuvre at various local coffee shops.
· Website: JennLyons.com
Parts fiction, fantasy, and horror, the basic structure of a paranormal mystery is that of a mystery story...more often than not, a detective mystery. Someone has been murdered or some other serious crime has been committed. Who (or what) did it? Because it's paranormal, that answer could range from vampires, ghosts, or werewolves to a myriad of other dark fantastical beings. Awesome, huh? And what better escape from reliving over and over again (the sometimes funk of) maturing into a young adult?
Susan Abel Sullivan's Cleo Tidwell series has been a recent favorite, so when I began to feel particularly grownup this week, I was delighted to discover another of World Weaver Press's latest paranormal mystery releases: Blood Chimera by Jenn Lyons.
Here's what you need to know:
Some ransoms aren’t meant to be paid. Kidnap and Ransom negotiation used to be straightforward. The bad guys kidnap someone, and K&R expert Jackson Pastor negotiates their release, skillfully traversing a maze of bloodthirsty monsters: criminals, terrorists, police, and especially the FBI.But that was before he met real bloodthirsty monsters.When Jackson Pastor arrives in Los Angeles to help a new client recover his kidnapped wife, he finds himself dropped in the middle of a 500-year-old war between rival European and Mexican vampire clans, a conflict that threatens to escalate into a full-on public gang war. Worse, Jackson hasn’t been brought to Los Angeles to be a negotiator.His new boss wants to turn him into an assassin.With Jackson about to be caught in the middle of a war, his only hope of escape may lie with a secret FBI monster-hunting task-force led by a very dangerous, eccentric wizard.Which could be a problem, since Jackson’s a monster himself.Blood Chimera is a gritty, noir-style mystery of paranormal proportions where nothing is as it seems, not even the term vampire.
Excerpt:
“How are you feeling, Mr. Pastor?”
I looked down at myself. I seemed to be hale and hearty enough, with all the right number of limbs in all the right places. My ribs didn’t ache when I breathed and my arm wasn’t swollen. I felt great, but I looked ready to play one of the walking dead. “Like I need a bath,” I told him. “And clothes would be nice.” There’s nothing quite like being naked and filthy in front of a lot of people who aren’t, to make you all self-conscious about it.
He nodded. “You’ve looked better.”
“Why do you have me in a cage?” I shook my head. “What happened?”
“I would think the reasons for the cage would be obvious. You don’t remember?”
“No, of course I don’t remember. I was Tez’s prisoner and then--” I looked over at the carcass in the corner. I swallowed. “Who did that?”
“You did.” Darius said as he took a swig of his beer. “You also wrecked one of my vans.” He pointed to an unmarked black van over in the garage area. The back doors were hanging awkwardly and the metal was twisted. Great gouges had been raked into the door and sides as if something had tried to smash its way out with some kind of very sharp ram.
I blinked at that. “That--that couldn’t have been me. I didn’t--”
“Oh, you very much did. We had a hell of a time getting you back here. We were lucky you were stunned by the explosions, and even luckier that we had tranq darts. That--” he pointed to the rotting, fly-infested pile of flesh using the long black feather. “--used to be a pair of goats. Juan thought you might revert if we fed you something. As it happens, he was right.”
I felt sick to my stomach, and, although I certainly wasn’t going to mention it to Darius, a bit peckish.
Goat wasn’t as filling as human.
Read it now, direct from World Weaver Press in ebook or trade paperback, or from any of these retailers:
Amazon (Kindle)
Amazon (paperback)
Amazon UK
Barnes & Noble
Kobo
Add to Goodreads!
Jenn Lyons lives in Atlanta, Georgia, with her husband, three cats and a lot of opinions on anything from Sumerian creation myths to the correct way to make a martini. At various points in her life, she has wanted to be an archaeologist, anthropologist, architect, diamond cutter, fashion illustrator, graphic designer, or Batman. Turning from such obvious trades, she is now a video game producer by day, and spends her evenings writing science fiction and fantasy. When not writing, she can be found debating the Oxford comma and Joss Whedon’s oeuvre at various local coffee shops.
· Website: JennLyons.com
July 20, 2014
Slow and Steady Wins the Race?
Some of you may be aware of this already, but I've spent the past couple of months toiling as a field hand on my sister and brother-in-law's farm/plan to end world hunger.
While the work has been extremely rewarding--my family has never eaten so well in the history of my being in charge of meal planning, procurement, and preparation--the death of the prepackaged meal has come at the cost of my timely completion of the second book in my Genie Chronicles, Solomon's Bell.
Farming has not proven conducive to creativity in my experience. Sure, I still talk to my characters while I water the green beans with the very sweat cascading from my brow as I bake like a crab cake in the Alabama sun, but mainly I just wish for a genie in the form of a tiny tornado that would gleefully take out half of the rows I'm supposed to pick before lunch. I haven't much mental energy left after a day in the dirt and itchy squash, zucchini and okra plants. That I manage not to claw my own skin off because of the chiggers seems like accomplishment enough some evenings.
I am taking advantage of less demanding days to write, but I think the sun has liquefied parts of my brain. Today I wrote for NINE STRAIGHT HOURS and got down a mere 597 words. That's less than 67 words per hour! Still, I got them down and I'm pretty satisfied with them and the direction of the story. In celebration, I'm sharing them here (with a few others for context) as a sort of teaser. I hope you enjoy them!
Remember me, as I labor away this summer in the Green Bean Forest. And pray for rain--it's good for the crops and gets me out of the fields for awhile to write!
(Unedited Excerpt: Genie Chronicles, Book Two: Solomon's Bell, All Rights Reserved)
(The Shops of Golden Lane, Prague)
The old man’s bald scalp, the only part of him not wrinkled, protrudes from the thick dark garment he wears and glows in the firelight. His nose is large and hooked, his bushy brows heavy over eyes that hang like watery black moons in his weathered face. In the firelight, his dewy eyesThe noise begins to fade, lifting like a dissipating fog. I regard the scrappy yellow-haired man standing in front of me with genuine interest. I’ve never met another genie other than Rashmere before. This Marek is nothing like Rashmere, however, with his fluffy tufts of blond hair and emerald green eyes. His smile is wide and toothy but insincere and never reaches his cold, languid stare. Where Rashmere is calm and centered, Marek seems nimble and spry with an innate capacity for cunning; he looks ready to pounce. “What do we have here?” Marek purrs.
While the work has been extremely rewarding--my family has never eaten so well in the history of my being in charge of meal planning, procurement, and preparation--the death of the prepackaged meal has come at the cost of my timely completion of the second book in my Genie Chronicles, Solomon's Bell.
Farming has not proven conducive to creativity in my experience. Sure, I still talk to my characters while I water the green beans with the very sweat cascading from my brow as I bake like a crab cake in the Alabama sun, but mainly I just wish for a genie in the form of a tiny tornado that would gleefully take out half of the rows I'm supposed to pick before lunch. I haven't much mental energy left after a day in the dirt and itchy squash, zucchini and okra plants. That I manage not to claw my own skin off because of the chiggers seems like accomplishment enough some evenings.
I am taking advantage of less demanding days to write, but I think the sun has liquefied parts of my brain. Today I wrote for NINE STRAIGHT HOURS and got down a mere 597 words. That's less than 67 words per hour! Still, I got them down and I'm pretty satisfied with them and the direction of the story. In celebration, I'm sharing them here (with a few others for context) as a sort of teaser. I hope you enjoy them!
Remember me, as I labor away this summer in the Green Bean Forest. And pray for rain--it's good for the crops and gets me out of the fields for awhile to write!
(Unedited Excerpt: Genie Chronicles, Book Two: Solomon's Bell, All Rights Reserved)
(The Shops of Golden Lane, Prague)The old man’s bald scalp, the only part of him not wrinkled, protrudes from the thick dark garment he wears and glows in the firelight. His nose is large and hooked, his bushy brows heavy over eyes that hang like watery black moons in his weathered face. In the firelight, his dewy eyesThe noise begins to fade, lifting like a dissipating fog. I regard the scrappy yellow-haired man standing in front of me with genuine interest. I’ve never met another genie other than Rashmere before. This Marek is nothing like Rashmere, however, with his fluffy tufts of blond hair and emerald green eyes. His smile is wide and toothy but insincere and never reaches his cold, languid stare. Where Rashmere is calm and centered, Marek seems nimble and spry with an innate capacity for cunning; he looks ready to pounce. “What do we have here?” Marek purrs.
June 8, 2014
Five Rules for Dating My Teenage Daughter
Well, it’s happened: my oldest daughter has come of dating age. I’m struggling with it more than I did when her older brother reached this milestone. Maybe because he didn’t do much casual dating; his first serious girlfriend was a year and a half older and a Freshman in college. The girlfriend was responsible and intelligent and a couple of hours away for most of their relationship. Number One son is now successfully graduated from high school and enlisted in the US Army with nary a pulverized-to-bits broken heart, STD or offspring to his name and I can’t help feeling like we came through those first dating years unscathed. But now comes my first born baby girl and I’m a mess.
I’ve decided that it would help not only my sanity but also my daughter when screening potential dates if I were to hammer out a list of FIVE RULES FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER.
1. I will meet you face-to-face and WE WILL have a conversation that may or may not make you varying degrees of uncomfortable. I will ask questions like:
a.) Who are your parents?
b.) Where do you go to school/church? (You won’t be penalized for these particular answers provided that you are, in fact, in school somewhere and not a Scientologist.)
c.) Do you/ have you ever used drugs or alcohol?
d.) What did you score on your driver’s test?
e.) What is your LATEST ACT score? (Yes, you will have needed to make more than one attempt at the ACT. How else am I to gauge your commitment to attending a college or university?)
f.) What was the last novel you read? (Extra points if it happens to have been mine—in which case you will be grilled extensively about the characters, plot and themes of the book, just to make sure.)
g.) If you could be a bat or a ball which would you be and why? (I have no idea what this question is even supposed to ascertain, but I was asked it in an interview for a bank teller job when I was 19 and I’ve never been able to get it out of my head. If Compass Bank wants to know, so do I.)
2. No tattoos.***
If you’re dating my teenage daughter, I can assume that you yourself are also a teenager. That being established, being tatted up and having made that LIFETIME commitment as a minor makes me question your ability to exercise good judgment.
***Exceptions may be made for a single memorial tattoo of your Dearly Departed Momma provided said tattoo is:
a.) of professional quality
b.) in good taste
and
c.) your Momma is actually deceased (If you are a minor and have a tribute tattoo to your mother who is alive and well somewhere, then you may have issues that preclude you from being a good match for my daughter. Just sayin’.)
3. No offspring.
And I mean EVERYTHING from children to unexplained rashes.
4. You will be required early in your dating relationship to meet my mother.
The Princess & Her Mammy
When you date one of my children, you’re basically dating his/her ENTIRE family. We are a package deal with no real respect for personal boundaries. You will not outsmart Mammy. She is the Boss of Foolishment and can sniff it out a mile away. She’s a bail bondswoman ala Dog the Bounty Hunter style. You CANNOT hide from Mammy. She will find you and bust down your door armed to the teeth with wild hair and pepper spray.
5. You will need to be respectful and mannerly AT ALL TIMES.
This goes for how you treat and address my daughter, me, Mammy, the wait staff at the restaurant where you dine, and the guy who takes your ticket at the movie theatre. Manners matter, buddy. Remember that I’m watching. And so is Mammy with her pepper spray.
If I tell you she’s to be home at 10 p.m., then by gosh she’d better be home at 10 p.m. no matter what kind of mountains you have to move to make that happen. I won’t care that your “movie ran over”, you’re “out of gas”, or you need to “make a stop somewhere” and therefore “she’ll be a little late getting home.” Punctuality is a sign of respect and you will respect me and my daughter’s curfew.
So, that’s it. Five rules I believe the Princess and her potential suitors can live with. I trust my daughter, who has shown me that she’s a responsible young woman capable of good decision making, and I hope to trust any young man that not only understands my need for a list, but happily submits himself to it. As long as he can also produce those ACT scores and maybe his CARFAX while he’s at it.
I’ve decided that it would help not only my sanity but also my daughter when screening potential dates if I were to hammer out a list of FIVE RULES FOR DATING MY TEENAGE DAUGHTER.
1. I will meet you face-to-face and WE WILL have a conversation that may or may not make you varying degrees of uncomfortable. I will ask questions like:
a.) Who are your parents?
b.) Where do you go to school/church? (You won’t be penalized for these particular answers provided that you are, in fact, in school somewhere and not a Scientologist.)
c.) Do you/ have you ever used drugs or alcohol?
d.) What did you score on your driver’s test?
e.) What is your LATEST ACT score? (Yes, you will have needed to make more than one attempt at the ACT. How else am I to gauge your commitment to attending a college or university?)
f.) What was the last novel you read? (Extra points if it happens to have been mine—in which case you will be grilled extensively about the characters, plot and themes of the book, just to make sure.)
g.) If you could be a bat or a ball which would you be and why? (I have no idea what this question is even supposed to ascertain, but I was asked it in an interview for a bank teller job when I was 19 and I’ve never been able to get it out of my head. If Compass Bank wants to know, so do I.)
2. No tattoos.***
If you’re dating my teenage daughter, I can assume that you yourself are also a teenager. That being established, being tatted up and having made that LIFETIME commitment as a minor makes me question your ability to exercise good judgment.
***Exceptions may be made for a single memorial tattoo of your Dearly Departed Momma provided said tattoo is:
a.) of professional quality
b.) in good taste
and
c.) your Momma is actually deceased (If you are a minor and have a tribute tattoo to your mother who is alive and well somewhere, then you may have issues that preclude you from being a good match for my daughter. Just sayin’.)
3. No offspring.
And I mean EVERYTHING from children to unexplained rashes.
4. You will be required early in your dating relationship to meet my mother.
The Princess & Her MammyWhen you date one of my children, you’re basically dating his/her ENTIRE family. We are a package deal with no real respect for personal boundaries. You will not outsmart Mammy. She is the Boss of Foolishment and can sniff it out a mile away. She’s a bail bondswoman ala Dog the Bounty Hunter style. You CANNOT hide from Mammy. She will find you and bust down your door armed to the teeth with wild hair and pepper spray.
5. You will need to be respectful and mannerly AT ALL TIMES.
This goes for how you treat and address my daughter, me, Mammy, the wait staff at the restaurant where you dine, and the guy who takes your ticket at the movie theatre. Manners matter, buddy. Remember that I’m watching. And so is Mammy with her pepper spray.
If I tell you she’s to be home at 10 p.m., then by gosh she’d better be home at 10 p.m. no matter what kind of mountains you have to move to make that happen. I won’t care that your “movie ran over”, you’re “out of gas”, or you need to “make a stop somewhere” and therefore “she’ll be a little late getting home.” Punctuality is a sign of respect and you will respect me and my daughter’s curfew.
So, that’s it. Five rules I believe the Princess and her potential suitors can live with. I trust my daughter, who has shown me that she’s a responsible young woman capable of good decision making, and I hope to trust any young man that not only understands my need for a list, but happily submits himself to it. As long as he can also produce those ACT scores and maybe his CARFAX while he’s at it.
May 21, 2014
Fae Cover Reveal & Giveaway
Meet Robin Goodfellow as you’ve never seen him before, watch damsels in distress rescue themselves, get swept away with the selkies and enjoy tales of hobs, green men, pixies and phookas. One thing is for certain, these are not your grandmother’s fairy tales. Fairies have been both mischievous and malignant creatures throughout history. They’ve dwelt in forests, collected teeth or crafted shoes. Fae is full of stories that honor that rich history while exploring new and interesting takes on the fair folk from castles to computer technologies and modern midwifing, the Old World to Indianapolis. Fae covers a vast swath of the fairy story spectrum, making the old new and exploring lush settings with beautiful prose and complex characters. Enjoy the familiar feeling of a good old-fashioned fairy tale alongside urban fantasy and horror with a fae twist.
With an introduction by Sara Cleto and Brittany Warman, and new stories from Sidney Blaylock Jr., Amanda Block, Kari Castor, Beth Cato, Liz Colter, Rhonda Eikamp, Lor Graham, Alexis A. Hunter, L.S. Johnson, Jon Arthur Kitson, Adria Laycraft, Lauren Liebowitz,Christine Morgan, Shannon Phillips, Sara Puls, Laura VanArendonk Baugh, and Kristina Wojtaszek.
For a chance to win a copy of this highly anticipated anthology from World Weaver Press, click here:
Goodreads Giveaway
April 14, 2014
#MyWritingProcess--Blog Hop!
#MyWritingProcess—Blog Hop!
Today I’m happy to take my turn for the #MyWritingProcess Blog Hop! I’ve been tagged by the oh-so-talented A.B. Harms, author of the new MG fantasy series The Bewilderness Tales, who posted about her own writing process last week. In case you missed my interview with Harms a few weeks ago, her debut novel Bewildered is full-on AWESOMESAUCE and available in eBook, paperback and hardback formats via most online book retailers. Add it to your reading list today! You’ll thank me.
This hop aims to address four of the most common questions many authors are asked about their writing:
1.) What am I working on?2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre?3.) Why do I write what I do?4.) How does my writing process work?
I’ve been asked these questions a few dozen times in one form or another and I certainly understand why some readers, especially the aspiring authors among them, are curious. I’ve also been fortunate enough to ask some writers that I admire about their writing processes.
Sometimes I’ve gained insight and learned something that has helped me with my own projects. Homer Hickam, for example, says he’s learned be able to write anywhere. “I can do it anywhere,” the Rocket Boys author has said. “On a pitching ship, in an airplane, while my office is being taken apart around me. I don’t need a beautiful, quiet setting. Any writer that can’t write unless conditions are perfect is in trouble before he starts.”
Other times I’ve heard or read responses that have given me a good laugh or some much needed relief when they’ve revealed that I am not alone in my struggle to get my writing done. Rick Bragg for example wrote in an OxfordAmerican article lamenting his absent muse, “Think about it. When was the last time you heard a man writing for wages say, ‘Yep, I need to write them obits, but, well, the muse has plumb evaded me’?”
I hope my answers prove both helpful and comforting to someone.
1.) What am I working on?When I learned early last year that my debut novel Heir to the Lamp would be published July 2013 by World Weaver Press, I celebrated for a couple of weeks then dove into the sequel Solomon’sBell —WWP wanted to publish a teaser for the second book at the end of HTTL and I had to get busy!I had a silly notion that somehow the 2nd book in my Genie Chronicles series would be far easier to write. I mean, I’d already done all the hardest work with HTTL, hadn’t I? I’d created and fleshed out my central characters: a confused but determined young girl coming to terms with her “otherness” in the form of inherited genie powers and her equal parts loving and embarrassing adoptive family. I’d laid down the rules for the djinn in my take on one of the oldest folklore beings ever written about. I’d established a persistent villain and ongoing conflict. Solomon’s Bell would practically write itself! Or so I thought. Turns out, sequels are difficult—especially when you take a few of your characters and transport them to 16thCentury Prague, ratchet up the conflict and introduce an even more dangerous enemy.
I’m spending as much time researching material for Solomon’s Bell as I ever did for HTTL. Maybe even more time. Every now and again I wonder if I’ve settled on a plot more ambitious than I am capable of. When this happens I reread the 100 or so pages that I have in good shape or consult a trusted Beta reader. Inevitably I come away assured that yes, I can do this. My story is solid. My reader intrigued. I can and will deliver.
I also have a second project on the back burner. If ever I need to escape the world of the Order of the Grimoire and their nefarious tactics to rob the world of all magic, I turn to Daddy’s Girl , a historical literary fiction piece loosely based on the childhoods of my mother and her siblings after the unexpected death of their father in the late 1960’s. There are no genies, imps or golems in Daddy’s Girl. No magic save the care and devotion of one African-American housekeeper that preserves a family during the long string of days following one of their deepest sorrows. It’s a story I can’t wait to share with the world. You can read an award-winning draft of the 1st chapter here.
2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre?Heir to the Lamp has been classified as YA (Young Adult) by World Weaver Press, but the truth is that I wrote and queried it as MG (Middle Grade). In a time when many parents are choosing to forbid some of Disney Channel’s tween programming in their homes citing bullying for laughs, absent adults or adults portrayed as oafs, and the perpetuation of stereotypes—especially that girls should be satisfied with being pretty and worry less about being smart or respected—my Genie Chronicles stories say to young readers, Bullies are losers! and There are adults that care about your success; find one you can confide in, be they the mother that seems to live to embarrass you, the basketball coach that has never doubted you’re capable of slaying a giant, or the seventysomething-year-old grandmother that is happiest when she’s force feeding you all the junk your parents never allow you to consume! Perhaps most importantly my stories say, Some girls are pretty, some girls are freakishly tall. Some girls are smart, some are sporty. Sometimes they’re feelings get hurt or they’re angry and confused. But they can almost always see themselves through these challenges, especially with the help of a trusted adult or an ancient djinni hiding in their family tree.
I take pride in the fact that my work differs from others in its genre in another meaningful way. Entertainment Weekly recently ran an article headlined Kid Lit’s Primary Color: White. In the article, Nina Terrero reports that of 3,200 children’s books published in 2013, only 93 featured black characters—and the numbers were even more abysmal for Asians, American Indians, and Latinos.
The “whitewashing” of the genre as it’s called in the industry is something I’m extremely aware of, and I write against it whenever possible. The Genie Chronicles feature main characters of varying race and ethnicity. Ginn is the descendant of Aliya Muna, a genie that prefers the human form of a young woman of Arabic origins. Aliya’s lamp is held in trust for Ginn by Rashmere Abdul Rahman, a genie who takes on the guise of another teenage Arabian whilst in the mortal world. Ginn has an older African-American brother and younger brother born in Malaysia. Solomon’s Bell features Jews and Czechs and explores some of their distinct folklore.
I think it’s important for readers to be able to see part of themselves in at least one character in a story. When that connection goes deeper than male/female, young/old, scholar/athlete, a story can grow from one a reader simply enjoys to one they identify with and come to love.
3.) Why do I write what I do?I write MG/YA fiction because I love to read MG/YA fiction. I became an avid reader at an early age. I also began to write at an early age, progressing from Muppet fanfiction—I loved to feature Miss Piggy in new adventures of Pigs in Space— to my first short story, A Bad Night in Tiny Town, which was a kind of grim version of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. The town was discovered by humans seeking shelter from a rain storm. All the Tinies died. The End.
I’ve derived a great deal of pleasure in recent years from being able to introduce my army of children to books, both classic and contemporary, that I’ve read and know that they are going to love. Sometimes they don’t read books I recommend right away, but eventually they get around to them and shortly thereafter they run into a room I happen to be cooking, cleaning, or folding laundry in and exclaim, “Mom, you were so right! This book is a-may-zing!” My dream is to elicit that same kind of reaction from young readers with my stories.
4.) How does my writing process work?Many writers will stress the importance of writing EVERY day. While this is definitely a goal I aspire to every day, it doesn’t always happen. I can say that I do plot and talk to my characters each and every day. I keep stacks of old business cards in my purse, desk drawer and the cubby hole in the console of my minivan for writing down bits of story inspiration and dialogue that pop into my head during the day. I often wonder what people might think about these seemingly random words and disconnected thoughts should I have a traffic accident and two hundred business cards scribbled with gibberish fly into the wind and down an Alabama highway.
For a long while, when it came time to actually sit down at my keyboard and write, I was one of those people who sought out that “perfect” writing environment Homer Hickam warns about. If I was writing at home, the entire house had to be clean—not just the room I was writing in—because if I ever looked up and saw a chore that needed to be done I would let myself be distracted by it and decide that I had to personally see to its completion before I could lose myself in my story world again. Initially I combated this compulsion by writing in public places like Books-A-Million and my local coffee house Java Jolt. With time I’ve learned to write with all manner of chaos going on around me, and I’m happy to report that as I type this post at my kitchen counter, two of my children have eaten Poptarts for dinner and there is a giant casserole dish of baked-on chicken and broccoli with rice petrifying not four feet from me with nary a thought in my head of putting that bad boy in the sink to soak until I am finished with this piece. Hallalujah! I am free at last!
Another aspect of my writing process that I have struggled with is completing a rough draft. Many writers I’ve talked to stress the “stream-of-consciousness-get-it-all-down-without-self-editing” approach. It’s the advice I give aspiring writers myself. But it’s not an approach that has ever worked for me. I self-edit the almost the entire time I’m writing. As a result, my revision and editing time is drastically shorter. My editor at World Weaver Press Eileen Wiedbrauk, however, would argue that the time I save editing isn’t what matters. “A rough draft doesn’t have to be perfect,” she’s said. “It just has to be finished.” She’s right, of course. I’m working on it.
Thanks for visiting my blog for my installment of the blog hop. In hopes of keeping it going, I’m inviting three friends and fellow MG/YA/NA authors to share their own writing process in posts on their blogs next week.
Sarah Ashley Jones, author of the NA (New Adult) Promise Me series. Sarah is a total goofball and twenty-something child at heart. She’s a hard worker and self-proclaimed control freak with a splash of wit and a side of sassy. A Jill-of-All-Trades, Sarah has held jobs as a trucking parts company office manager, camp counselor, ranch camp horseback riding instructor, kindergarten aide, after school teacher, infant room teacher, and is currently fueling her creative bones at a pottery studio in Tennessee!
Jeremy Hicks, co-author of the fantasy series Cycle of Ages Saga , and contributor to the Capes and Clockwork Anthology, Volume I, from Dark Oak Press & Media. One of the chosen few to be born in Alabama, Jeremy spent several years working as a field archaeologist in the Southeast before teaming up with longtime friend and co-author, Barry Hicks to realize a creative dream in the form of the Cycle of Ages Saga. Jeremy can be found appearing throughout the year at some of the most popular fantasy and science fiction conferences around the South and is always a fan favorite.
Katie Clark, author of the forthcoming YA dystopian Enslaved series with Watershed, an imprint of Pelican Book Group. Katie is the author of over 50 picture books, short stories and articles for children and adults.
Thanks for hopping aboard!
Today I’m happy to take my turn for the #MyWritingProcess Blog Hop! I’ve been tagged by the oh-so-talented A.B. Harms, author of the new MG fantasy series The Bewilderness Tales, who posted about her own writing process last week. In case you missed my interview with Harms a few weeks ago, her debut novel Bewildered is full-on AWESOMESAUCE and available in eBook, paperback and hardback formats via most online book retailers. Add it to your reading list today! You’ll thank me.
This hop aims to address four of the most common questions many authors are asked about their writing:
1.) What am I working on?2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre?3.) Why do I write what I do?4.) How does my writing process work?
I’ve been asked these questions a few dozen times in one form or another and I certainly understand why some readers, especially the aspiring authors among them, are curious. I’ve also been fortunate enough to ask some writers that I admire about their writing processes.
Sometimes I’ve gained insight and learned something that has helped me with my own projects. Homer Hickam, for example, says he’s learned be able to write anywhere. “I can do it anywhere,” the Rocket Boys author has said. “On a pitching ship, in an airplane, while my office is being taken apart around me. I don’t need a beautiful, quiet setting. Any writer that can’t write unless conditions are perfect is in trouble before he starts.”
Other times I’ve heard or read responses that have given me a good laugh or some much needed relief when they’ve revealed that I am not alone in my struggle to get my writing done. Rick Bragg for example wrote in an OxfordAmerican article lamenting his absent muse, “Think about it. When was the last time you heard a man writing for wages say, ‘Yep, I need to write them obits, but, well, the muse has plumb evaded me’?”
I hope my answers prove both helpful and comforting to someone.
1.) What am I working on?When I learned early last year that my debut novel Heir to the Lamp would be published July 2013 by World Weaver Press, I celebrated for a couple of weeks then dove into the sequel Solomon’sBell —WWP wanted to publish a teaser for the second book at the end of HTTL and I had to get busy!I had a silly notion that somehow the 2nd book in my Genie Chronicles series would be far easier to write. I mean, I’d already done all the hardest work with HTTL, hadn’t I? I’d created and fleshed out my central characters: a confused but determined young girl coming to terms with her “otherness” in the form of inherited genie powers and her equal parts loving and embarrassing adoptive family. I’d laid down the rules for the djinn in my take on one of the oldest folklore beings ever written about. I’d established a persistent villain and ongoing conflict. Solomon’s Bell would practically write itself! Or so I thought. Turns out, sequels are difficult—especially when you take a few of your characters and transport them to 16thCentury Prague, ratchet up the conflict and introduce an even more dangerous enemy.
I’m spending as much time researching material for Solomon’s Bell as I ever did for HTTL. Maybe even more time. Every now and again I wonder if I’ve settled on a plot more ambitious than I am capable of. When this happens I reread the 100 or so pages that I have in good shape or consult a trusted Beta reader. Inevitably I come away assured that yes, I can do this. My story is solid. My reader intrigued. I can and will deliver.
I also have a second project on the back burner. If ever I need to escape the world of the Order of the Grimoire and their nefarious tactics to rob the world of all magic, I turn to Daddy’s Girl , a historical literary fiction piece loosely based on the childhoods of my mother and her siblings after the unexpected death of their father in the late 1960’s. There are no genies, imps or golems in Daddy’s Girl. No magic save the care and devotion of one African-American housekeeper that preserves a family during the long string of days following one of their deepest sorrows. It’s a story I can’t wait to share with the world. You can read an award-winning draft of the 1st chapter here.
2.) How does my work differ from others of its genre?Heir to the Lamp has been classified as YA (Young Adult) by World Weaver Press, but the truth is that I wrote and queried it as MG (Middle Grade). In a time when many parents are choosing to forbid some of Disney Channel’s tween programming in their homes citing bullying for laughs, absent adults or adults portrayed as oafs, and the perpetuation of stereotypes—especially that girls should be satisfied with being pretty and worry less about being smart or respected—my Genie Chronicles stories say to young readers, Bullies are losers! and There are adults that care about your success; find one you can confide in, be they the mother that seems to live to embarrass you, the basketball coach that has never doubted you’re capable of slaying a giant, or the seventysomething-year-old grandmother that is happiest when she’s force feeding you all the junk your parents never allow you to consume! Perhaps most importantly my stories say, Some girls are pretty, some girls are freakishly tall. Some girls are smart, some are sporty. Sometimes they’re feelings get hurt or they’re angry and confused. But they can almost always see themselves through these challenges, especially with the help of a trusted adult or an ancient djinni hiding in their family tree.
I take pride in the fact that my work differs from others in its genre in another meaningful way. Entertainment Weekly recently ran an article headlined Kid Lit’s Primary Color: White. In the article, Nina Terrero reports that of 3,200 children’s books published in 2013, only 93 featured black characters—and the numbers were even more abysmal for Asians, American Indians, and Latinos.
The “whitewashing” of the genre as it’s called in the industry is something I’m extremely aware of, and I write against it whenever possible. The Genie Chronicles feature main characters of varying race and ethnicity. Ginn is the descendant of Aliya Muna, a genie that prefers the human form of a young woman of Arabic origins. Aliya’s lamp is held in trust for Ginn by Rashmere Abdul Rahman, a genie who takes on the guise of another teenage Arabian whilst in the mortal world. Ginn has an older African-American brother and younger brother born in Malaysia. Solomon’s Bell features Jews and Czechs and explores some of their distinct folklore.
I think it’s important for readers to be able to see part of themselves in at least one character in a story. When that connection goes deeper than male/female, young/old, scholar/athlete, a story can grow from one a reader simply enjoys to one they identify with and come to love.
3.) Why do I write what I do?I write MG/YA fiction because I love to read MG/YA fiction. I became an avid reader at an early age. I also began to write at an early age, progressing from Muppet fanfiction—I loved to feature Miss Piggy in new adventures of Pigs in Space— to my first short story, A Bad Night in Tiny Town, which was a kind of grim version of Mary Norton’s The Borrowers. The town was discovered by humans seeking shelter from a rain storm. All the Tinies died. The End.
I’ve derived a great deal of pleasure in recent years from being able to introduce my army of children to books, both classic and contemporary, that I’ve read and know that they are going to love. Sometimes they don’t read books I recommend right away, but eventually they get around to them and shortly thereafter they run into a room I happen to be cooking, cleaning, or folding laundry in and exclaim, “Mom, you were so right! This book is a-may-zing!” My dream is to elicit that same kind of reaction from young readers with my stories.
4.) How does my writing process work?Many writers will stress the importance of writing EVERY day. While this is definitely a goal I aspire to every day, it doesn’t always happen. I can say that I do plot and talk to my characters each and every day. I keep stacks of old business cards in my purse, desk drawer and the cubby hole in the console of my minivan for writing down bits of story inspiration and dialogue that pop into my head during the day. I often wonder what people might think about these seemingly random words and disconnected thoughts should I have a traffic accident and two hundred business cards scribbled with gibberish fly into the wind and down an Alabama highway.
For a long while, when it came time to actually sit down at my keyboard and write, I was one of those people who sought out that “perfect” writing environment Homer Hickam warns about. If I was writing at home, the entire house had to be clean—not just the room I was writing in—because if I ever looked up and saw a chore that needed to be done I would let myself be distracted by it and decide that I had to personally see to its completion before I could lose myself in my story world again. Initially I combated this compulsion by writing in public places like Books-A-Million and my local coffee house Java Jolt. With time I’ve learned to write with all manner of chaos going on around me, and I’m happy to report that as I type this post at my kitchen counter, two of my children have eaten Poptarts for dinner and there is a giant casserole dish of baked-on chicken and broccoli with rice petrifying not four feet from me with nary a thought in my head of putting that bad boy in the sink to soak until I am finished with this piece. Hallalujah! I am free at last!
Another aspect of my writing process that I have struggled with is completing a rough draft. Many writers I’ve talked to stress the “stream-of-consciousness-get-it-all-down-without-self-editing” approach. It’s the advice I give aspiring writers myself. But it’s not an approach that has ever worked for me. I self-edit the almost the entire time I’m writing. As a result, my revision and editing time is drastically shorter. My editor at World Weaver Press Eileen Wiedbrauk, however, would argue that the time I save editing isn’t what matters. “A rough draft doesn’t have to be perfect,” she’s said. “It just has to be finished.” She’s right, of course. I’m working on it.
Thanks for visiting my blog for my installment of the blog hop. In hopes of keeping it going, I’m inviting three friends and fellow MG/YA/NA authors to share their own writing process in posts on their blogs next week.
Sarah Ashley Jones, author of the NA (New Adult) Promise Me series. Sarah is a total goofball and twenty-something child at heart. She’s a hard worker and self-proclaimed control freak with a splash of wit and a side of sassy. A Jill-of-All-Trades, Sarah has held jobs as a trucking parts company office manager, camp counselor, ranch camp horseback riding instructor, kindergarten aide, after school teacher, infant room teacher, and is currently fueling her creative bones at a pottery studio in Tennessee!
Jeremy Hicks, co-author of the fantasy series Cycle of Ages Saga , and contributor to the Capes and Clockwork Anthology, Volume I, from Dark Oak Press & Media. One of the chosen few to be born in Alabama, Jeremy spent several years working as a field archaeologist in the Southeast before teaming up with longtime friend and co-author, Barry Hicks to realize a creative dream in the form of the Cycle of Ages Saga. Jeremy can be found appearing throughout the year at some of the most popular fantasy and science fiction conferences around the South and is always a fan favorite.
Katie Clark, author of the forthcoming YA dystopian Enslaved series with Watershed, an imprint of Pelican Book Group. Katie is the author of over 50 picture books, short stories and articles for children and adults.
Thanks for hopping aboard!
March 31, 2014
Glamour Author Andrea Janes Guest Post
I never made a conscious decision to write a Young Adult novel. The idea for Glamouractually came from a friend of mine who suggested years ago that we write a teen-movie script about “a girl who worked in an ice cream store who was an ambidextrous scooper.” It was a little bit Porky’s, a little bit Little Darlings.
I wrote Scoops as a screenplay in 2004. It was pretty dreadful. Because I am not actually a comedy writer (unless I’m not trying to be funny; then everything comes out absolutely hilarious) I decided to make it less a horny teen comedy and more of a psychological thriller, with a lot of madness and identity shifting and Hitchcockian/Highsmithian doppleganger stuff. Interestingly enough, I even included a scene where the girls take a ghost tour, which is pretty funny in light of what my future careerwould be.
Anyway, I shelved the fairly terrible script and moved on to other screenplays and, eventually, short stories, but I couldn’t get the characters of Reese and Christina out of my head. They kept floating around in there, and eventually I decided to revisit the script when I took a re-writing seminar with Pilar Alessandra. It was at this point that I realized Christina was actually the main character in the story. I also realized I needed a slightly better hook than an ambidextrous scooper who wins an ice cream scooping contest! I’ve always been obsessed with witches and witchcraft, and maybe something about all those women brewing up special concoctions put the idea in my head, because I thought, hell why not make the ice cream store a front for a coven?
Then Scoops became Widdershins, which was what I originally called the witchy version of the script. It actually came out pretty well, much better than the original, but I was still stuck with a script on my hands that featured two female leads (one of whom isn’t around for 85% of the movie) and a lot of costly special effects. How many producers out there would jump at the chance to option a script like that? Especially from an unknown writer?
Right.
There is a blog by John August, a screenwriter. He once advised a fellow writer that it is actually easier to write and sell a novel than it is a script: “If you’re looking to put your story out into the world, paper beats film, hands down.”
After I read that, I then re-wrote the entire thing again as a novel. This was around 2010 or 2011, I think. I changed the name to Glamour because someone else had already written a book called Widdershins, but I ended up liking the new title a lot. I sold it to World Weaver Press and here we are, just ten short years later and it’s a YA book now!
So the whole YA thing was an accident. I’m not sure if I’ll write a YA novel again. To be honest, I’m not in love with the YA label. People are people, no matter their age. Teenage girls can be miserable or dazzling or profound, just like adult women. So why do they have to be YA necessarily? Do we think of Katniss Everdeen as a teen, or as a person? Lisbeth Salander as a “New Adult” (she’s twenty-three, after all!) or a human? If I ever do write another book with a young protagonist, it’ll be because that’s the right person for the right story for the right time. Or because someone will finally have paid me to write the remake of Little Darlings.
Andrea JanesGlamour a novel by Andrea Janes. Stealing the life she’s always wanted is as easy as casting a spell. Townie. That’s what eighteen-year-old Christina Sundy is. All year round she lives in a one-stoplight town on Cape Cod, and when summer comes, she spends her days scooping ice cream for the rich tourists she hates. So when one of them takes a job in the ice cream shop alongside her, she’s pissed. Why does a blonde and perky Harvard-bound rich girl like Reese Manning want to scoop ice cream anyway?Something else weird is happening to Christina: tiny blue sparks seem to be shooting off her fingers. It isn’t long before she realizes the truth about herself — she’s actually a powerful hereditary witch. But her newfound powers are too intense for her to handle and, in a moment of rage, she accidentally zaps Reese into another dimension.So that no one will notice that the rich girl has disappeared, Christina casts a disguising spell, or “glamour,” and lives Reese’s life while she tries to find a retrieval spell.But as the retrieval spell proves harder than anticipated, and as she goes about living Reese’s life without anyone on the outside noticing the switch, Christina realizes that there’s nothing to stop her from making the glamour permanent… except, of course, her fellow witches, a 16th century demon, and, just maybe, her own conscience.Read the digital edition exclusively from these retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Kobo | OmniLitRead the trade paperback from these and other retailers:
Amazon | Barnes & Noble | Books-A-Million | Independent Bookstores
Andrea Janes writes horror, dark comedy, thrillers, and historical slapstick. She is the author of Boroughs of the Dead: New York City Ghost Stories . She is also a licensed NYC tour guide, and offers a variety of ghostly tours around the city.Her many obsessions include New York City history, old photographs, Mabel Normand, all things nautical, and beer. She maintains a personal blog over at Spinster Aunt, where she discusses these obsessions in more detail than is probably healthy.
March 21, 2014
A. B. Harms Interview & Giveaway
I've been asked in interviews "What book do you wish you'd written?" When it's been feasible, I've skipped this particular question. While there are many, many books out there that I love, rarely do I close one at its conclusion and think, "Wow! This is a story that I wish was all mine." No more, friends, for I now have an answer to that question!
Bewildered by A. B. Harms IS the book I wish I'd written. This middle-grade novel is all that I love about fantasy and juvenile fiction in general! The characters are unforgettable, the plot well developed, and the setting...well the setting is what makes Bewildered so very enchanting. A. B. Harms has done a phenomenal job constructing the Bewilderness, a world resplendent with imagery.
Description, in my opinion, is where Harms shines brightest, and there were several times while reading Bewildered that I was reminded of Neil Gaiman and his 2013 award-winning The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The books are different in meaningful ways--Gaiman's story is considerably darker and the author himself has stated that it wasn't intended for young readers--but they share an unmistakable richness of description in their imaginative, fantasyland settings. Harms is Gaiman Good with imagery!
Disclaimer: I can already tell that I am very likely to overuse exclamation points while writing this post, but I can't help it. I am beyond excited about this book and cannot wait for its much deserved success!
I am very happy to introduce you to author A. B. Harms and her debut novel Bewildered! Also, don't miss your chance to win a signed copy of Bewildered and other great prizes (including a signed copy of Heir to the Lamp) by registering via Rafflecoptor at the bottom of this post!
What inspires you as a writer?
Inspiration comes from a lot of different places—the world in general. Sometimes another book, a movie, something in the news, a billboard, a song, even off-handed things people say can stir up a thought that turns into an avalanche of ideas. These things happen to all of us, everyday! It wasn’t until I decided I wanted to make writing my career that I really started paying attention to them.
What inspired your novel, Bewildered? What makes it special?The idea began as a loose rendition of Alice in Wonderland—my favorite story from childhood. Instead of Alice, who was a daydreamer and needed to grow up, I thought it would be fun to swap it up—to have a serious girl who needed to learn to use her imagination—to enjoy life!
Could you tell us a little about your main character, the no-nonsense Prudence Parks?Aw, poor Prudence. Perhaps she has some abandonment issues, what with having her only parent gone all of the time, but Prudence loves predictable things—things she can control. That leaves frivolities like friends “out” and things like the scientific method “in”. So where’s the one place she’d never, ever want to go—let alone become imprisoned in—that’s right…a place like Bewilderness, where nothing ever makes sense and anything is possible. Mean, aren’t I?
As a self-described “control freak”, how much of your own personality is shared by Bewildered’s heroine Prudence?Ha! Yes, I do love planning, and predictability. I love researching and finding the most effective way to do things, and sometimes, like Prudence, I can get a little too self-assured for my own good. So, yes, perhaps there is a bit of me in Prudence. Funny I had never really thought we were that much alike! She was certainly fun to write—she’s so much more brazen than I ever could be. Right or wrong, she speaks her mind with absolute confidence, which is admirable in its own way, and something that I, as a people-pleaser, can’t always muster the courage to do.
One of the settings of your novel is the Bewilderness. What was your process for creating this world?Bewildeness was not fully realized when I began writing it. It’s funny to me how it takes time to become acquainted with the people and places we writers dream up. They reveal themselves little-by-little as the writing happens. I think this may be especially true in fantasy stories where all the rules we expect are subject to change. I found out what Bewilderness is like just the same way a reader does, one scene at a time. The world has shape now, and scents, and flavors, and soft and hard spots. But yet, as the series goes on, Bewilderness will become even more tangible. I think that’s one of the most magical parts of writing this series—watching it all unfold.
Bewildered features its share of baddies, but none so villainous as the Match King. Which do you find more fun to write: good guys or bad guys?Bad guys for sure. They’re harder for one thing. It’s easy to fall into a stereotypical trap, making a mustache-twirling villain that wants to rule the world, but creating a bad guy who is a hero in his own world is much more challenging, and ups the stakes for everyone. The best is when you can see why the bad guy is doing what he does—it may be wrong, but in his shoes, what he is doing makes a bit of sense. It’s scarier when that happens too! Maybe that’s why even my hero isn’t all that likable…
Your book has a fabulous cover and is peppered with captivating illustrations throughout. Can you tell us a little about your illustrator the talented Angie Kwon? What was it like working with her?In a word? Fantasticgooglyawesomeness! Angie was a miracle find. I wasn’t sure what to expect, being my first novel, and I don’t think Angie did either—this was her first book, if you can believe it. She was such a pro though. What I really wanted was another perspective and an artist with a unique look. Angie definitely brought that to the project. I had very little input, actually. She read an earlier draft and gave me a few sketches with various ideas. As the interior images rolled out, I couldn’t believe how her contribution make the story real. We were definitely on the same page! Oh—get it? Page! I’m so funny.
What can we expect from future installments of The Bewilderness Tales?More! More! More! New worlds, new characters, new twists! Though we will get to see many of the people from book one again, too. There are clues hidden in Bewildered that will suddenly seem so obvious later. So, when I say that I don’t have it all figured out—that the story reveals itself to me one scene at a time—I’m only half telling the truth. There are some things that I do know and the morsels are there in the pages of Bewildered.
What would you say was the biggest lesson learned on your journey to publication?Whew! There’s been a lot of lessons along the way, and more occur every moment. But, I think the thing that I have learned, and the thing that I advocate for is: ‘DO WHAT YOU LOVE!’ Whether the day is good or bad, I always look forward to my work. Everyone deserves that, and the world would be a much better place if we all enjoyed what we did for a living.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?Just do it! The only difference between aspiring authors and Authors is mindset. Also, write every day, seek out honest feedback, write every day, read as much as you can, study the craft, and…oh yeah—write every day!
You’ve been an outspoken advocate for writers choosing to go the Indie Author route. What should those out there contemplating self-publication know about the process?This is a good question, and though I honestly believe that Indie-authordom is wonderful, I find no fault in the traditional publishing path—there are pros and cons either way. It’s a decision each author must make based upon their own unique goals, expectations, and comfort level, and there’s no one way to do any of it. An Indie-author must wear a lot of hats—it’s a one-girl-band over here, even though I have lots of great mentors and supporters, all accountability falls squarely on one set of shoulders. However, more and more responsibility is being placed on the traditional author’s shoulders as well. Luckily, this is a path that has been walked before, and there are a lot of free resources out there to help.
The bottom line: no matter what path you walk, being an author is a business, and requires determination, passion to work hard, and willingness to invest in your product. Always be thankful for feedback, especially criticism—remember, you are a professional. If you conduct yourself as such, and keep an open mind, success is out there. Huge achievements are met with small steps.
Do you have any writing rituals? A favorite place to write?For a while I did. I liked to go to certain coffee shops and sip on certain espresso-based delights. It was my romantic idea of what being a writer could be. But nowadays, I squeeze writing in wherever I can. I keep note cards with me in case I get one of those vaporous ideas, or time to workshop things away from home. Just recently, I moved into a corner of our basement to keep the dining room table available for… oh, I don’t know… eating? I have a lamp and a cup for my pens. It's great. J
As a writing mom, how do you make time to write?This is a constant battle, let me tell you. I’ve made my writing goal fairly low at 1,000 words per day. I do whatever I can to make that goal. Sometimes it’s easy and I have time left to work on other things on the business side. Other days, I’m running too thin and don’t even get to touch my manuscript! Guilt doesn’t get me anywhere though, so I let it go and move on. There's a fine line between challenging yourself with goals and creating unreasonable expectations. I love the line: it's a marathon, not a sprint. It pretty much works for every part of this process.
JUST FOR FUN:
Cats or dogs? I have to say I'm more of a dog person. Big dogs especially!
Dinner or desert?Whichever has chocolate in it.
What is the best thing that ever happened to you?Oh my…this is a toughie! I'd have to say that my relationship with my husband is the best thing that has ever happened to me. So many of the things that I love and live for are through our connection: our children, our adventures living overseas, and just about all the things I have accomplished are through his sacrifice and support. Best guy ever.
BEWILDEREDA Bewilderness Tale, Book One
Prudence Parks is perfect. At twelve-years old, she has the world in her pocket. No messy friends. No silly games. Everything is just right—until her father leaves her an orphan.
When she tumbles into a bizarre realm known as Bewilderness, nothing is as it should be. Insects talk, pirate ships sail on sand, and plants are just plain evil. After she’s banished for claiming to be human, she thinks the worst is behind her. She’s wrong. The Match King, posing as an ally, promises to send her home if she can find the Paper Heart, an ancient treasure. Battling her sense of logic all the while, she meets a living ragdoll and her father’s doppelganger, who melts her icy heart and—to her regret—gives the Match King perfect collateral to ensure she follows through.
Prudence realizes the Match King’s plan to erase Bewilderness from existence, but now she must choose: save the world she has come to love, or find her way home.
BEWILDERED is a middle grade fantasy novel geared toward children ages 9-12. It’s Alice in Wonderland meets Miracle on 34th Street. Set once upon a time in a land far, far away, this story illustrates the importance of friendship, courage, and proves believing isn't always seeing.
Purchase it online at your favorite retailer, or visit your local bookstore!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | IndieBound | The Book Depository | Books-a-Million
About the Author
A. B. Harms was born a writer. From a young age, she made her own picture books with crayons and a stapler. As a teenager, she won essay contests. Yet, when she began her career, being an author was the last thing she considered. Finally, after working every job imaginable from waitress to social worker and earning her degree in Psychology, she realized what she was always meant to do--write!
A. B. is from Missouri, has gone around the world and back again, and now lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her family, a pet sloth, who resembles a Great Dane, and a black cat, who moonlights as an assassin. No matter where she hangs her hat, she finds herself at home down the rabbit hole.
REGISTER HERE FOR THE GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
Bewildered by A. B. Harms IS the book I wish I'd written. This middle-grade novel is all that I love about fantasy and juvenile fiction in general! The characters are unforgettable, the plot well developed, and the setting...well the setting is what makes Bewildered so very enchanting. A. B. Harms has done a phenomenal job constructing the Bewilderness, a world resplendent with imagery.
Description, in my opinion, is where Harms shines brightest, and there were several times while reading Bewildered that I was reminded of Neil Gaiman and his 2013 award-winning The Ocean at the End of the Lane. The books are different in meaningful ways--Gaiman's story is considerably darker and the author himself has stated that it wasn't intended for young readers--but they share an unmistakable richness of description in their imaginative, fantasyland settings. Harms is Gaiman Good with imagery!
Disclaimer: I can already tell that I am very likely to overuse exclamation points while writing this post, but I can't help it. I am beyond excited about this book and cannot wait for its much deserved success!
I am very happy to introduce you to author A. B. Harms and her debut novel Bewildered! Also, don't miss your chance to win a signed copy of Bewildered and other great prizes (including a signed copy of Heir to the Lamp) by registering via Rafflecoptor at the bottom of this post!
What inspires you as a writer?
Inspiration comes from a lot of different places—the world in general. Sometimes another book, a movie, something in the news, a billboard, a song, even off-handed things people say can stir up a thought that turns into an avalanche of ideas. These things happen to all of us, everyday! It wasn’t until I decided I wanted to make writing my career that I really started paying attention to them.
What inspired your novel, Bewildered? What makes it special?The idea began as a loose rendition of Alice in Wonderland—my favorite story from childhood. Instead of Alice, who was a daydreamer and needed to grow up, I thought it would be fun to swap it up—to have a serious girl who needed to learn to use her imagination—to enjoy life!
Could you tell us a little about your main character, the no-nonsense Prudence Parks?Aw, poor Prudence. Perhaps she has some abandonment issues, what with having her only parent gone all of the time, but Prudence loves predictable things—things she can control. That leaves frivolities like friends “out” and things like the scientific method “in”. So where’s the one place she’d never, ever want to go—let alone become imprisoned in—that’s right…a place like Bewilderness, where nothing ever makes sense and anything is possible. Mean, aren’t I?
As a self-described “control freak”, how much of your own personality is shared by Bewildered’s heroine Prudence?Ha! Yes, I do love planning, and predictability. I love researching and finding the most effective way to do things, and sometimes, like Prudence, I can get a little too self-assured for my own good. So, yes, perhaps there is a bit of me in Prudence. Funny I had never really thought we were that much alike! She was certainly fun to write—she’s so much more brazen than I ever could be. Right or wrong, she speaks her mind with absolute confidence, which is admirable in its own way, and something that I, as a people-pleaser, can’t always muster the courage to do.
One of the settings of your novel is the Bewilderness. What was your process for creating this world?Bewildeness was not fully realized when I began writing it. It’s funny to me how it takes time to become acquainted with the people and places we writers dream up. They reveal themselves little-by-little as the writing happens. I think this may be especially true in fantasy stories where all the rules we expect are subject to change. I found out what Bewilderness is like just the same way a reader does, one scene at a time. The world has shape now, and scents, and flavors, and soft and hard spots. But yet, as the series goes on, Bewilderness will become even more tangible. I think that’s one of the most magical parts of writing this series—watching it all unfold.
Bewildered features its share of baddies, but none so villainous as the Match King. Which do you find more fun to write: good guys or bad guys?Bad guys for sure. They’re harder for one thing. It’s easy to fall into a stereotypical trap, making a mustache-twirling villain that wants to rule the world, but creating a bad guy who is a hero in his own world is much more challenging, and ups the stakes for everyone. The best is when you can see why the bad guy is doing what he does—it may be wrong, but in his shoes, what he is doing makes a bit of sense. It’s scarier when that happens too! Maybe that’s why even my hero isn’t all that likable…
Your book has a fabulous cover and is peppered with captivating illustrations throughout. Can you tell us a little about your illustrator the talented Angie Kwon? What was it like working with her?In a word? Fantasticgooglyawesomeness! Angie was a miracle find. I wasn’t sure what to expect, being my first novel, and I don’t think Angie did either—this was her first book, if you can believe it. She was such a pro though. What I really wanted was another perspective and an artist with a unique look. Angie definitely brought that to the project. I had very little input, actually. She read an earlier draft and gave me a few sketches with various ideas. As the interior images rolled out, I couldn’t believe how her contribution make the story real. We were definitely on the same page! Oh—get it? Page! I’m so funny.
What can we expect from future installments of The Bewilderness Tales?More! More! More! New worlds, new characters, new twists! Though we will get to see many of the people from book one again, too. There are clues hidden in Bewildered that will suddenly seem so obvious later. So, when I say that I don’t have it all figured out—that the story reveals itself to me one scene at a time—I’m only half telling the truth. There are some things that I do know and the morsels are there in the pages of Bewildered.
What would you say was the biggest lesson learned on your journey to publication?Whew! There’s been a lot of lessons along the way, and more occur every moment. But, I think the thing that I have learned, and the thing that I advocate for is: ‘DO WHAT YOU LOVE!’ Whether the day is good or bad, I always look forward to my work. Everyone deserves that, and the world would be a much better place if we all enjoyed what we did for a living.
What advice would you give aspiring authors?Just do it! The only difference between aspiring authors and Authors is mindset. Also, write every day, seek out honest feedback, write every day, read as much as you can, study the craft, and…oh yeah—write every day!
You’ve been an outspoken advocate for writers choosing to go the Indie Author route. What should those out there contemplating self-publication know about the process?This is a good question, and though I honestly believe that Indie-authordom is wonderful, I find no fault in the traditional publishing path—there are pros and cons either way. It’s a decision each author must make based upon their own unique goals, expectations, and comfort level, and there’s no one way to do any of it. An Indie-author must wear a lot of hats—it’s a one-girl-band over here, even though I have lots of great mentors and supporters, all accountability falls squarely on one set of shoulders. However, more and more responsibility is being placed on the traditional author’s shoulders as well. Luckily, this is a path that has been walked before, and there are a lot of free resources out there to help.
The bottom line: no matter what path you walk, being an author is a business, and requires determination, passion to work hard, and willingness to invest in your product. Always be thankful for feedback, especially criticism—remember, you are a professional. If you conduct yourself as such, and keep an open mind, success is out there. Huge achievements are met with small steps.
Do you have any writing rituals? A favorite place to write?For a while I did. I liked to go to certain coffee shops and sip on certain espresso-based delights. It was my romantic idea of what being a writer could be. But nowadays, I squeeze writing in wherever I can. I keep note cards with me in case I get one of those vaporous ideas, or time to workshop things away from home. Just recently, I moved into a corner of our basement to keep the dining room table available for… oh, I don’t know… eating? I have a lamp and a cup for my pens. It's great. J
As a writing mom, how do you make time to write?This is a constant battle, let me tell you. I’ve made my writing goal fairly low at 1,000 words per day. I do whatever I can to make that goal. Sometimes it’s easy and I have time left to work on other things on the business side. Other days, I’m running too thin and don’t even get to touch my manuscript! Guilt doesn’t get me anywhere though, so I let it go and move on. There's a fine line between challenging yourself with goals and creating unreasonable expectations. I love the line: it's a marathon, not a sprint. It pretty much works for every part of this process.
JUST FOR FUN:
Cats or dogs? I have to say I'm more of a dog person. Big dogs especially!
Dinner or desert?Whichever has chocolate in it.
What is the best thing that ever happened to you?Oh my…this is a toughie! I'd have to say that my relationship with my husband is the best thing that has ever happened to me. So many of the things that I love and live for are through our connection: our children, our adventures living overseas, and just about all the things I have accomplished are through his sacrifice and support. Best guy ever.
BEWILDEREDA Bewilderness Tale, Book One
Prudence Parks is perfect. At twelve-years old, she has the world in her pocket. No messy friends. No silly games. Everything is just right—until her father leaves her an orphan.
When she tumbles into a bizarre realm known as Bewilderness, nothing is as it should be. Insects talk, pirate ships sail on sand, and plants are just plain evil. After she’s banished for claiming to be human, she thinks the worst is behind her. She’s wrong. The Match King, posing as an ally, promises to send her home if she can find the Paper Heart, an ancient treasure. Battling her sense of logic all the while, she meets a living ragdoll and her father’s doppelganger, who melts her icy heart and—to her regret—gives the Match King perfect collateral to ensure she follows through.
Prudence realizes the Match King’s plan to erase Bewilderness from existence, but now she must choose: save the world she has come to love, or find her way home.
BEWILDERED is a middle grade fantasy novel geared toward children ages 9-12. It’s Alice in Wonderland meets Miracle on 34th Street. Set once upon a time in a land far, far away, this story illustrates the importance of friendship, courage, and proves believing isn't always seeing.
Purchase it online at your favorite retailer, or visit your local bookstore!
Amazon | Barnes and Noble | iTunes | Smashwords | IndieBound | The Book Depository | Books-a-Million
About the Author
A. B. Harms was born a writer. From a young age, she made her own picture books with crayons and a stapler. As a teenager, she won essay contests. Yet, when she began her career, being an author was the last thing she considered. Finally, after working every job imaginable from waitress to social worker and earning her degree in Psychology, she realized what she was always meant to do--write!
A. B. is from Missouri, has gone around the world and back again, and now lives in Louisville, Kentucky with her family, a pet sloth, who resembles a Great Dane, and a black cat, who moonlights as an assassin. No matter where she hangs her hat, she finds herself at home down the rabbit hole.
REGISTER HERE FOR THE GIVEAWAY:
a Rafflecopter giveaway
