Rival Gates's Blog, page 47

Tax Time

It’s another wonderful snow day here in Nebraska. I really shouldn’t complain. We only get serious snow about 3 times per winter. The rest of the time it is just dry and cold. That’s not so bad most of the time. So I have put my writing on hold in order to get together my tax paperwork. I have a file I put all my receipts in throughout the year and the time has come to sort through them one at a time. It amazes me how many bloggers said they would review my book, had me buy them one and send it, and then they blew me off. One of them was in Canada. That wasn’t cheap to send. I look at some of the receipts and cannot remember what they were for. Trying to categorize them all is like playing five hands of blackjack all at once. Once they are all sorted I list them on a sheet for my accountant. I do this so there’s no chance of a slip being missed. A lot of people out there do their own taxes and I did in the past. I still do my children’s simple returns on the free Turbo Tax app. When it comes to mine these days, however, I leave it to the accountant. I just don’t trust that I will do all the deductions for the right amounts and have everything correct. Even with his help, I always seem to owe money on my taxes. The days of planning for a refund are long gone. I must be one of those “Rich” people the politicians keep talking about taxing more. (In case you’re wondering, I’m not at all wealthy) It doesn’t help that in Nebraska they “Haven’t heard of a tax they didn’t like.” Warren Buffet hails from here and it is said that he pays more in property taxes on his small home in Omaha than in his lush estate in California. The schools here are state of the art but every election there is a new millage proposed. Only once in the last 25 years has the millage been voted down. When the last one was approved, the school board had to have a meeting to decide what to do with all the money. If they didn’t know what the money was needed for, then how did they know how much to ask for? A friend I work with has a son working on the school board. He said that the millage passing meant his son received a $1000 bonus. Since when do they get bonuses and why are my taxes paying for them? We are a country of people who united because they did not want to pay taxes. Today we still don’t want to pay them. When you tell me the money is going for cancer research, road construction, free lunches for underprivileged students, defense or utilities upgrades I can understand the need. What I can’t understand are studies to see how different colors of light affect certain birds, studies to see how much people like their car and the list of other wasteful uses of my money. Maybe I should apply for a grant to determine the effect of over taxation on my buying power?

Evolving Writing

Well the cover for “Quest for the Red Sapphire” has officially been changed on Amazon. I will be updating my web sites shortly. The new edits have not hit yet but will be uploaded soon, I am assured. I had meant to write this blog earlier in the day and had risen early in order to do so. Then my list of “Day Off” phone calls started and, well, here we are at midday. As usual I am anxious to get back to writing my fourth book, “Repercussions Abound.” As I was lying in bed last night playing through what I wanted to write I realized all the editing on the books has changed my writing style. There are aspects I miss and new ones I am proud of having absorbed. To be clear, I will never be an editor’s dream writer. I am too stubborn for that. My father is a brilliant man with an answer for nearly any question put to him. Be that as it may, I would ask him so many questions that he would finally fall back on the favorite saying of all parents, “Because I said so!” That mentality stuck with me in my writing. When someone says, “Why don’t they do this instead” or “I don’t think your character would react that way. They should act like this.” For a while I explain myself but that is short-lived. When someone tells me how my characters should feel or something to that effect, my father bursts out of me and I respond by saying, “It is like that because that’s the way I want it.” Some things are worth explaining yourself while others do not deserve your effort. In general, though, the editing has helped me improve my craft. I have worked with 3 different editors and they have had vastly different styles. The first one was very hands off in her approach and complimentary. Unfortunately, she missed some glaring mistakes on my part and even worse, added mistakes of her own when editing. It was not a good experience from a professional standpoint although she was pleasant to work with. The second editor was a vast improvement. She was more detail oriented but had me change certain things, not because they were wrong, but because they didn’t fit her style. Meanwhile she added edits awkwardly into sentences making the sentence no longer make sense. There were flagrant errors but overall it was a vast improvement over the job the first editor did. Once again, I got along fine with her and accepted constructive criticism well. Anyone reading this blog lately knows what I am going to say about the third editor. To his credit, he cleaned up a lot of sloppy editing from the first editor. He knows his craft and that was apparent. As for the negative…it’s too exhausting to go into again but I will say his criticism was not constructive for the most part and at times was downright demeaning. Even with the downside, I learned a good deal. There are many things particularly in grammar I watch closer now in my writing. I make more than my share of mistakes. I freely admit it. That does not mean you have the right to talk down to me. I am a writer…an author, and that means I have a whole bad of “Because I said so” ready to go at a moment’s notice.

New Book Review

I have a new book review. http://thereviewcourt.com/book-verdic... As with everything in life, there are some things the reviewer liked and some things she did not, but overall it rated a 4.1/5 stars. I would like to thank The Review Court for taking the time to read the book. THE NEW COVER IS OUT on “Quest for the Red Sapphire.” http://www.amazon.com/Quest-Red-Sapph... Now’s a great time to start the journey!

Saturday Excerpt, "Quest"

Anvar thought for a moment in order to find the words, which most easily, explained the concept. At last he spoke, “In nature, there is tremendous energy; whether it is the sun, the moon, the stars, the wind, all that surrounds us. Only a rare few, are born with the gift of harnessing that natural power and channeling it through their bodies. I am one of those elite few. I draw my power from nature and control the use of the energy with my thoughts. I can do most things that I can envision in my mind. After channeling the power, I release it through my hands. There is a price I pay for doing this however. Using my magic is quite draining on me physically. The more power I channel, the more tired I become. It is much like lifting heavy objects. The more it weighs, the more tired one becomes from lifting its weight. Different acts I perform require different amounts of magic. In turn, my level of fatigue differs with the amount of magic I channel and my physical condition. You see, it is much less tiring for me to send a man flying across the room with a concussion blast, then to outright kill him by burning a hole through his body.”
His nephews’ eyes widened. “You can just kill someone?” Bander asked in astonishment.
“If I can picture it in my mind and I can physically handle the drain, that the magic will extract from my body, then I can do what I want. My only other drawback is that I must have free use of my hands. If they are bound, then I cannot release my magic.”
“Have you always had this power?” Linvin asked.
“As I said,” Anvar answered, “I was born with the ability. But like any talent, it took years for me to master. I had to find the best ways to use my power and determine how taxing different actions would be on my body.”
“When I was a young elf, my stamina was much greater than it is today. Back then, I could channel far more power with greater results.”
“Why did you keep this a secret for so long?” Linvin inquired.
“I hid my powers for the very reasons Rander just mentioned. Magicians are distrusted and thought to be of poor moral fiber. Years back, magicians were bound and burned. It was believed by those in ignorance that they were evil. Every catastrophe that happened from the trivial, to the bizarre, was blamed on the nearest magician. Soon, those blessed with the power were forced to hide it from the world, for fear of a gruesome death. Before long, generations grew without ever having seen magic or a magician.”
“Both of your mothers knew of my gift and swore to keep it a secret. Dirk Grithinshield knew of it as well and found my presence around Jelena comforting when he would travel. None of you were told because we simply did not know how you would react. Judging from the expressions on your faces, I would say we chose wisely.”
Rander kept shaking his head. “But isn’t magic evil?”
“No,” Anvar answered sternly. “It is a tool like any other. The one who uses the tool decides its course. It is up to the individual to decide if those powers will be used for constructive or destructive purposes.”
“So you possess the kind of power that Linvin is seeking?” Rander asked.
“Both are magic,” Anvar answered, “but the difference in the level of power is beyond compare. It is similar to comparing a lake to an ocean. The Red Sapphire will bring Linvin far greater power than I could ever hope to channel. Aside from the power the gem harnesses, it also is Red Magic.”
Seeing their reaction, Anvar decided to continue so that he might answer some of their questions before they formed.
“Magic is very color specific. For example, I am an orange magician. This means that when I use my power I emanate it in an orange color. Among magicians, there is a hierarchy based on color. Each color has an opposite, which is equal in power and cancels out its counterpart. Different pairs of colors have different strengths as well. The most powerful magic is either red or blue. A red magician and a blue magician would not be able to destroy each other because their powers are opposites and cancel each other out. However, they can still do harm to one another provided the opponent does not block the incoming magic. They simply can’t completely destroy each other with magic.
“As I said, there is a hierarchy. Red and blue are the most powerful and rare. No magic can stand against them when the magician is prepared. The next tier down of opposites consists of orange and yellow magic. Again, they cancel each other out and are not as powerful as red and blue. This level is more common, but still not widely found.”
“The final level is made up of violet and green. It is likely those magicians, you refer to Rander, being at fairs and the like. Their power is relatively weak. Such places of amusement however, are the only places where they may display their gifts without being persecuted. Violet and green magicians are the meekest of the six but are also the most prevalent. While magicians as a whole are rare, there are far more of the lower orders than the higher ones.”
Anvar still observed the blank stares and decided to wrap up his seminar on magic. “Like I was saying, it is quite draining for me to use my powers. The better physical condition one is in, the more power that person can channel and the less tiring it is on them. Even at my age, I can still be of help on this journey. I am not so feeble that I must be relegated to parlor tricks just yet. However, I am not able to carry the burden of protecting the party myself.”

It's My Birthday

Today is one of those red letter days on the calendar. What happened today that was so important? In 1986 the space shuttle Challenger exploded during takeoff. It took place before a live audience. American recording artists joined to create, “We Are the World” in 1985. In 1973 the cease fire with North Vietnam went into effect and later earned Richard Nixon the Nobel Pease Prize. The Coast Guard was created in 1915 and was added to the armed forces. Famous people celebrating birthdays today are actor Alan Alda who turns 79, actor Elijah Wood who turns 34, ‘N Sinc singer Joey Fatone Jr. who hits 38 and singer Sarah McLachlan who is 47. One more person not yet famous but nevertheless born today is yours truly, Rival Gates. I was born in Port Huron, MI during one of the many cold snaps during winter. My mother insisted I refused to be born until it broke freezing and to her credit, it was 33 degrees the day I came into the world. I was blessed to have siblings to love me and keep me in my place. I dreamt of being a writer from the time I first saw my father’s writing awards. Some were for editorial content. Some were for advertising. Others were for creative works. He had done it all except write a book. That was what I wanted to do from an early age. Imagine your nine year old coming and telling you they want to write a book one day. My parents paid me lip service but didn’t take me seriously until I was thirteen and started my first hand written manuscript for “Quest for the Red Sapphire” (To everyone wondering out there, I knew even then that a red sapphire was just a ruby. Later in the series you find out why it is a red sapphire instead.) My mother had me placed in advanced English and skipped me ahead a grade so I could take college level classes as a senior in high school which would transfer into college credit. She was a very intelligent, far thinking lady. It is on this day that she would always call me. If I was at home or work or traveling to Vancouver for business, she would find out where I was and call to sing me “Happy Birthday” in that perfect pitch high soprano voice of hers. When I was out of town she would even contact strangers to have them buy me a cake and leave it in my room. And before she would hang up the phone, she would sing “Close to You” by the Carpenters to sing me off to sleep. She would always ask how my writing was going and wanted to hear anything new. Now I have a wonderful family and wife who care for me. So perhaps I am not a household name yet, but I’ll get there and in the meantime, I am the star in my family’s sky.

Back To Writing

At long last, the edits for the second edition of “Quest for the Red Sapphire” are done! There is still a question about the cover but everything looks full steam ahead for the launch. As I am very excited to have the process done, I cannot help but be more excited by the prospect that now I get to concentrate once again on writing my fourth book, “Repercussions Abound.” It feels like that one child of yours that never seems to complain and always behaves, therefore it tends to be forgotten about or taken for granted. Well that child has earned some devotion. At last this great story will be given my full attention…at least until the edits for book 3 come up. This is my real joy in life. The entire story has been locked in my head for decades along with the rest of the books. This is finally my opportunity to put my thoughts to paper. Many people ask me about the work involved in writing. I actually don’t see writing the books as work. Writing promotional materials and performing edits are work to me. But the actual act of writing the book is a reward. If that were not the case then I would say writing is the wrong field of choice. I have said this before and still repeat it. Once it becomes work to write and you are not enjoying it, then it is time to get out and do something else. To me I still feel like I’m sitting around a campfire or on the porch swing at my parent’s old house telling stories. The only sad thing is that I always have some sort of other tasks to do around the house when it comes time to write. I spent nearly two hours today trying to do an update on my computer. An email said it was necessary but it wouldn’t work. When I finally reached the manufacturer I was told I only needed to do the update if I was having problems with my computer. Now they tell me! That’s two hours I can’t get back. But everything is finally ready. I have a brief window before the girls get home from school where it will just be me. And so I leave you now for my true love that is always waiting patiently for my return. She’s never jealous and always lets me take over where we left off. She is good to me. It’s good to be a writer!

Sunday Excerpt "Crucible"

“Just ahead there is in fact a small base and storage depot,” Linvin began. “There are five buildings in the compound. On the left are a barracks and stable. On the right are three storage facilities. I have seen to it that the Sergeant on duty there does not wake before the others. He is sound asleep in the barrack. Do not enter that building.
“Rander, find a branch in the woods that has already fallen. I do not want evidence of a freshly broken tree limb to raise suspicion. As we advance, use the branch to grate the soil on the road and hide our tracks. When those guards awake and return to the depot I want them to believe no one has been down this road.
“It will be tempting to take our time at the base. We cannot afford to do that. It is part of their messenger network with a crossroad in the middle of the compound. We must go in, get what we need and leave quickly without leaving evidence of our presence. Only then will my plan work.
“When we first enter the camp, we will bring the horses over to the corral by the stable. There is a trough filled with hay and grain just under the rail. Next to it is another filled with water. Tie your horses to the rail and let them eat and drink.”
“What about us?” Bander asked. “My stomach is not happy with me.”
Linvin nodded and patted his cousin on the shoulder. “Worry not, Good Bander. You shall have your feast. We can eat as we ride. The horses cannot.”
He turned his attention to his other cousin. “After we have entered the camp there will be no need to spread the dirt around on the ground” he told Rander. “Hoof prints abound and ours will go unnoticed. Once the horses are tied, you and Bander go into the stable and find any extra saddlebags. We will need all the bags and sacks our horses can hold. Remember, do not leave the area looking violated. If there are several from which to choose then take them from different areas so as not to make their absence easily noticed. Anvar and I will head for the first storage building on the right. You will bring Miri when you are done and meet us there.”
Miri stepped forward and entered the conversation. “My side may hurt but I am not so infirm I cannot be of help. I am part of this party too now. What would you have me do?”
Linvin shrugged his shoulders and saw no flaw in her logic. “Very well then,” he told her. “You go with Rander and find the items in the stable. Bander will go with me and Anvar will stand guard in the center of the crossroad. There is the chance of a rider coming through and I wanted someone to watch for that anyway.”
Linvin held out three fingers. “The first building on the right stores uniforms and medical supplies. When we have liberated what we require, we will move on to the second warehouse. It is an armory the size of which I have not seen since my days in Valia. When we are properly outfitted there, we will move to the third and largest building. It contains all the preserved foodstuffs Bander could ever want. We will take everything our horses will hold and leave. Once we are under way, we can eat as we ride.
“Are there any questions before we go?” He looked from side to side and saw anxious and excited faces. No one, however, made a sound. “Good,” he said. “I know I have said this repeatedly, but the guards must never suspect anyone has been there when they return to the base. Now, follow me.”
Linvin mounted his horse and took Rander’s by the reins. His cousin wasted no time finding a branch while the others mounted their steeds. Linvin dug in his heels and spurred the horse forward, leading the party at a brisk pace. Rander began his work of covering their tracks.

Saturday Excerpt, "Quest"

There was one person however, who retained a serious expression. Bander was deep in thought and had been for some time. Never one to put facts together well, he often thought out what he would say to avoid the risk of sounding ignorant and bearing the brunt of his brother’s insults. For over a day, he had tried to put a coherent thought together, but the words had eluded his mind. As they sat by the fire that night, Bander thought the time might be right to verbalize his query. He contemplated it for a few moments to be sure he wouldn’t sound foolish. Finally he was ready to speak.
“Uncle Anvar, what was that orange light that shot out of your hands during the fight at the tavern?”
Linvin and Rander were at a loss having not been conscious to see the pyrotechnics during the melee. They first looked at Bander to see if he looked confused. The big elf looked quite serious. Thus, attention focused on Anvar. The kindly uncle stirred the fire and did not speak. “What is he talking about?” Linvin asked. Anvar threw his stick in the fire and then brushed his hands clean on his pants.
“Good Bander,” Anvar began, “you were trading serious blows with that man with whom you were matched. In the fray, you must have seen a flash from one of the table lamps being knocked to the ground. The sudden light must assuredly have drawn your gaze for a brief moment.”
Bander shrunk his stature and looked away. “Yes, I did see that. It caught my eye all right.” He paused as though he was finished. Anvar was about to change the topic when Bander’s inner voice became audible. “Yep, that flash made me look over there. Right after that though, your hands looked like they were on fire or something. Some orange ray of light, sort of came flying from them and hit the man you were fighting like a club.” Bander looked at his brother and Linvin. “The fella flew backward like he was fallin’, only sideways. He crashed into the bar real hard. Don’t ya’ remember, Uncle Anvar? The fire didn’t hardly seem to even be bothering you, but that other guy…Whew. He gotta’ be feelin’ worse than Linvin today.”
Linvin and Rander knew Bander to have many traits and flaws. One he was not known for, however, was a tendency to lie. So it was, that Bander’s brother and cousin turned their attention again to their uncle, who poked the fire once again.
“Hands on fire?” Rander asked. “What is he talking about?”
“In the heat of battle,” Anvar began, “things are not always as they appear. Linvin, I am sure you have seen strange things in battles many times. Come, tell us of one.”
Linvin’s forehead wrinkled as he looked sternly at Anvar. “Do not change the subject Anvar,” Linvin said firmly. “You are implying that Bander is a liar or a fool. Is that your intent?”
Bander looked most sheepish and regretted beginning the conversation. He looked longingly at his uncle, hoping to avoid either title suggested.
Anvar sighed and hung his head in shame. Without raising his eyes, he answered Linvin. “Your cousin is neither a liar nor a fool. What he has recounted to you is genuine. He was talking about my magic.”
“Magic?” Linvin asked in disbelief. “Do you actually mean to say that you are a magician?”
Rander interjected before Anvar could answer. “That’s absurd! Magicians are tricksters. They are confidence men who prey upon the weak minded. There is no real magic. It’s all just a bunch of slight of hand.”
Anvar turned his head curiously to his brazen nephew. “And the Red Sapphire we seek, is not real magic?”

Second Edits Done

I hate it when I’m right. That always seemed like the strangest staying. After all, how could being right be bad? Well, as it turns out, it’s a bad thing to be right when you predict locking horns with your editor. I went through my second set of edits yesterday for the second edition of “Quest for the Red Sapphire.” Out of perhaps 20 instances where the editor and I didn’t agree the first time, I gave in on all but about 8 of them. In this set of edits, four of the previous ones where I refused to budge were sent back to me once again to change. The comments sent with them are not suitable for publication. They were also not suitable for an editor, but they were written there anyway. I must confess for such a limited number of edits I had to do a lot of walking away from the computer angrily and blowing off steam. The items up to be changed are a difference of opinion in how the main character (Linvin) would react in certain situations. I was ridiculed for these flaws in the character. The flaws were the whole point of the scene! He is a character. He has faults. They keep popping up. He is working to correct them but isn’t there yet. Why is this so hard to understand? I would stomp through the house; maybe even go for a drive and then return to look at the screen and read the demeaning comments left for me about the scene. What do you do? If you refuse again there might be a problem all the way back to the publisher since the editor is God (See yesterday’s blog). If you just give in you lose what made your character different. On 3 out of the 4 I compromised. I rewrote it closer to what he wanted but did not give away the heart of the matter I held dear. In the fourth edit I totally ignored him and left it as it was since his suggestion was, to use his verbiage, “Ridiculous.” Part of me feels like I betrayed my story but I made the best of an ugly situation. If those changes are not good enough, then that is going to be too bad because I have bent and bent and bent like a blade of grass in the wind. If I bend any more the very fiber holding me up will snap and I will not rise again. I will not let that happen. I have been open-minded and humbled but my breaking point has been reached. I will spend the rest of the day reading the previous edits to make sure they flow well and then send it back. Perhaps it is unprofessional to vent in my blog but this is MY blog and I will write what I will. I’ve tried to explain it to others around me but the reactions are usually just confusion. I’m told, “Why not just do what the editor wants and be done with it?” Simply put, if I give in on all those points there’s no point in even putting my name on it because that’s no longer my book.

God vs. The Creator

Today’s blog was supposed to be about how I finally have time to get back to my true love, writing. Then I made a harmless check of my email and found that the second set of edits for “Quest for the Red Sapphire” are back. That means that my fun will have to wait as I dive once again into the world of editing. I have not looked at the editorial comments yet but they must be considerably fewer than the first set. The editor made a lot of good points which I made note of and changed the first time through. There were some instances where I dug in my heels and refused to budge. I am wondering if those are items he found fault with the second time around. It is a difficult situation because he commands great respect as an editor. My father was one and he had a framed drawing from the art department at one of his magazines in his office. It was a large picture of a disheveled writer with loose papers in his hand, bent over as if in pain with giant pencils the size of fence posts stabbed completely through the writer from the front to the back in two places. Underneath the caption read, “Man, he is one tough editor.” My father was the one who framed the gag and hung it in his office proudly. Needless to say, he had little sympathy for me when I came to him with my concerns about some of the edits. In his book, the editor is God and you do not argue with God. If writers could get it right in the first place there would be no need for editors. It kind of reminds me of our disagreements in my childhood. My argument is that the writer is the Creator and without him there would be nothing to edit. Therefore, shouldn’t he have some say as to how he wants things done? There has to be a happy median. After all, both sides have valid points. I don’t want to be at odds with my editor. And I certainly want it edited well. I just don’t want to lose the story I took so long creating because it is not to this person’s tastes. To his credit, this editor is making me a better writer as there are mistakes I should hope I will not make again. To his discredit, the way in which he has phrased some of his criticism is at the very least, not constructive. So I will review the changes and make as many corrections as I can and not lose the essence of what I have created. In the end, as much as I will bend…it is still MY book. I am the Creator.