Becca Andre's Blog, page 7

Title Reveal and Sale

The wait is nearly over.  FF3 will be released soon.  I don’t have a date yet, but the book is currently with my editor, Shelley Holloway, and cover artist, Streetlight Graphics.  So it won’t be long now!

The title of this new story is…  The Alchemist’s Flame.

I’ll post again when I have a date and/or a cover to reveal.  Meanwhile, I have a sale going on.

If you’ve fallen behind on The Final Formula story, now is your chance to catch up.  For a limited time, the last title in the series, The Necromancer’s Betrayal, is on sale for just $0.99–a savings of $2.  I should mention that in story time, The Alchemist’s Flame starts just a few hours after The Necromancer’s Betrayal ends.

I’ve taken a different approach to The Final Formula series by alternating between novels in Addie’s POV and novellas in James’s POV.  James has a story to tell, and it will have a big impact on the overall series.  I know some folks aren’t fans of shorter works, so I try to bring readers up to speed in the beginning of each novel.  But I think it’s much more fun to watch the story unfold, then to be told what happened.  Just saying.  

Look for the novellas to get longer as the series progresses (The Necromancer’s Betrayal is twice as long as The Element of Death).  I hope you enjoy this slightly different approach to publishing a series.  Another perk of alternating shorter works with longer works is that I can release something new more frequently.  At least, that’s the plan.

The Necromancer’s Betrayal is available at: Amazon | Smashwords |Barnes & Noble | Kobo | Apple

Note – I have dropped the price on all retailers, but some are slower than others to update.  If your favorite retailer hasn’t changed the price, please check back later.  Some sites can take as long as 72 hours to make changes.

Thanks for reading!

The End – Finally

The end.

I love writing those two words.  Finishing that first draft is one of the best feelings in the world, in my opinion.  It doesn’t matter how crappy it is, or how much editing it will take to make it readable.  I made it to the end—an accomplishment that frequently seems impossible from mid book.

Last week, I got to write those two words again.  Yes, I finally finished FF3.  It’s off with beta readers now.  I’m afraid I won’t make a December release date as I was hoping, but it goes for editing in early January, and cover art mid-month, so it shouldn’t be too much longer.

It frustrates me to no end that I can’t write faster.  Yes, I do have a day job and a family to take care of, but four months seems like a long time to write a first draft.  My writer friends assure me that the process gets, if not easier, at least more reliable the more you do it.  And though I’ve been writing for decades, I’ve only been taking it seriously for the last year.

Back in September, I wrote a blog post about improving my method.  I decided to give outlining on honest try.  It certainly helped, but I’m a long way from mastering that technique.  Even if I don’t turn out to be the sort of writer who plots every scene ahead of time, I do think it’s incredibly helpful to have some kind of roadmap before I begin.  So, I’ll keep trying to find the method that works for me.

Thanks for your patience as I find my way.  Hopefully, the next book will come together quicker!

Speaking English – Kinda

I sometimes joke that I don’t speak English; I speak Appalachian. Most folks don’t think Appalachia when they think Ohio, but the rolling hills in the southern part of the state are actually the foothills of the Appalachian Mountains. I tend to use words like y’all and reckon (as in, I reckon I’ll go write a blog post now), though I try to keep a handle on it when I write. Last weekend, I hosted a writing retreat. My beta buddies Kendra and Lindsay joined me for three glories days of writing, but at one point, we did laugh about my accent. (Although Kendra’s Oklahoma accent wasn’t all that different.)

The first time I noticed that I had an accent was in high school. My Girl Scout troop had gone to Columbus, Ohio to spend the weekend volunteering at the Ohio Special Olympics. We met other groups from all over the state, and people kept asking us if we were from Georgia. Nope, Southern Ohio (pronounced o-hi-a). We found the notion funny because we knew what a southern accent sounded like. All you had to do was cross the Ohio River into Kentucky (we lived right on the border). For some reason, the accent is much stronger there. Curious the way a physical boundary can make such a difference, even in our world of cars and bridges where a river in no longer a true boundary.

When I decided to write a blog post on this topic, I did a little research. I wanted to see exactly where the boundaries of Appalachia were. I ended up on Wikipedia and found this: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Appalachian_English. I read through the article, and was shocked to discover that I really do speak Appalachian. Okay, not to the extent shown in the article, but I frequently hear a lot of people who do—especially the older generation. Words like wash pronounced worsh, or droppin’ the g in words that end in -ing. I’ve seen street signs with holler instead of hollow, or crick instead of creek.

It’s not just how the words are pronounced, but sometimes the word itself. One of my favorites is substituting the word mango for bell pepper. I don’t hear it much anymore, but when I was kid, that’s just what you called them. If you ordered a pizza with mangos, you got bell peppers. I think I was in junior high before I learned that a mango is actually a fruit.

My editor (the awesome Shelley Holloway) and I have had many a giggle over my colloquialisms. Fortunately, my story is set in the same general region in which I live, so I get to leave some of them. However, until I get a better handle on my dialect, I reckon I won’t be setting any stories too far from home.

***

Speaking of our writer’s retreat…I had to share this picture.  It’s the wine I brought.  Is that cool or what?  My husband’s cousin bought it for me when we were visiting California’s wine country.  It came in a coffin and everything.  

 

The Series So Far Giveaway

Since it’s going to be a few more months before the next book releases (I’m still shooting for December), I wanted to do something to keep my name out there.  So I’m giving away an autographed set of the first four titles in the series.  This is a Goodreads Giveaway so you’ll need to enter over there.  You can find the entry page here.

This giveaway is open to everyone, no matter where you live.  (Yep, I’ll even spring for international postage.)  Unfortunately, I only have one set to give away.  Don’t wait to enter.  Giveaway ends on Halloween (10/31/14).

Good luck!

Making My First Book Trailer

I’ve wanted to make a book trailer for a while now, so for The Final Formula’s first birthday (publication birthday), I decided to give it a go. I ended up having a lot of fun with this project, but there was a learning curve.

When I started, I knew nothing about trailer making–or any kind of video editing. After studying some of the other trailers out there, I wrote a short script, then went in search of the imagery.  I dug through loads of stock photos and footage–what a time sink that was–and finally found some things I could work with. I wasn’t familiar with any movie making software, so I decided to use what came free with my computer. I highly recommend iMovie to anyone just starting out.  It was easy to use and gave the final product a, dare I say, professional appearance.

I love visual media and wish I was more handy with such things. One of these days, I need to learn to use Photoshop. I’ve been into digital scrapbooking for years, but the software I use for that is a bit limiting. I think it would be a blast to make book covers, but that’s a project for another day. Meanwhile, I have a novel to write.  

So without further ado, here’s my trailer.  Hope you like it!

 

 

Shattering Illusions, One Beaker at a Time

The covered crucible rattled against the glowing red support ring. When it took a little hop, I stepped back. No need to risk my eyebrows. Again.

The opening scene in The Final Formula is based on a real event.  It wasn’t quite as dramatic, nor did it happen to me, but I’m pretty sure the stain is still on the ceiling.  Fortunately, no eyebrows were lost.

When I tell someone that I’m a chemist, I usually get an enthusiastic response of, “That’s cool!” I suspect they imagine a white lab coat, flasks of mysterious liquids, and explosions. I’m afraid the only truth here is the lab coat. (Yes, as I mentioned above, there is an occasional explosion, but in real life, explosions are not a good thing. They usually involve cleanup, paperwork, and frequently, a follow-up safety meeting.)

In today’s post, I thought I’d share a little bit about what goes on at the day job and how it influences my fictional world.  Unfortunately, I’ll probably shatter the mad scientist image you have of me.  *sigh*  So much for being cool.

As a chemist, working in industry, I find my job very repetitious. I’ve run the same analysis for years, moving samples through the process much like an assembly line worker. The work involves not only wet chemistry (the typical bench work with reagents and beakers), but also the use of computerized instrumentation and loads of paperwork. There aren’t many shouts of “Eureka!” or opportunities to cackle over a bubbling test tube of weird colored liquid.

This might sound dull, but there are opportunities for creative work such as developing new procedures or puzzling out why a sample didn’t work they way you expected. I also have a great bunch of co-workers who get my dorky science jokes and make the daily drudgery fun. But it is through my fictional world that I really get to play the stereotypical mad scientist and blow things up.

One of the fun aspects of The Final Formula Series is adapting magic to our world. The study of alchemy is where modern chemistry got its start, so it made sense to have my alchemists start their careers as chemists. The equipment Addie uses is the same basic stuff you’d find in any modern chemistry lab, though she has been known to make her own when she lacks something.

Being a chemist myself does make it easier to describe what Addie is up to, though I have to be careful not to drift into any technical jargon. For me, the reading experience is about the characters and their stories. When a story goes into too much detail about the science or magic, I find myself skimming to the next interesting bit of character interaction. This is a personal preference, but I write what I like to read, so there you go. No long-winded breakdown about how ingredients are reacting at a chemical level, at least not from me.

So, there’s a little glimpse into what I do. It’s not scintillating stuff, but with a few tweaks, and a couple of explosions, it can make for fun fiction.

 

 

The Method to My Madness

I admit, the title is a bit misleading. This isn’t so much a post about what’s involved in my writing process; it’s more the story of my ongoing quest to find one.

I’ve always been a seat-of-my-pants writer. (For those of you unfamiliar with the term, that’s a writer who grabs a pen, or a keyboard, and just starts writing. No outlines, no plans—just a desire to get the story down.) In hindsight, it makes sense that I would approach writing this way. For most of my life, writing was a hobby. I would write a novel, slap it in a ring binder, and move on to the next one. I never bothered to edit, and I certainly didn’t share my stories with anyone. I wrote for me, and only me. End of story.

All that changed when I wrote The Final Formula. It was better than anything I’d written before, and suddenly I wanted to share. I joined a workshop, learned to edit, and um, three years later, I published it. (Yeah, I was a big chicken.) During those three years, I wrote more in the Final Formula universe, and those stories became the next three titles in the series.

With the release of The Necromancer’s Betrayal, it was time to move into uncharted waters. I had to write the next book with no pre-written stuff from years past. I found that daunting at first. There are actually people waiting for the next installment. I didn’t have time to screw around with the seat-of-my-pants writing style I had previously employed. I had to learn to plan ahead, to (gasp) outline.

I’ve never been opposed to outlining. I don’t believe it cramps creativity or anything like that. I would LOVE to have a road map as I work my way through the writing of a novel. So over the first few weeks of August (when not winging my way through the early chapters of FF3), I read a number of books on outlining/plotting. I scribbled and fought, and finally I did it. I wrote a plot outline!

My outline is nothing fancy. Just a sheet of notebook paper with a line or two per scene, grouped into chapters. I know my outline isn’t perfect—I had to overhaul the thing about a third of the way into writing the novel—but it’s a start. Like every skill, it’ll take practice before I’m proficient at it.

When writing was just a hobby: ten unedited novels.

Another technique I’ve begun to employ is pre-writing. Before each writing session, I pull out my 9.5 x 6 inch spiral notebook and map out the nitty-gritty of what I want to write in that session. Sometimes it’s just a few notes on the next scene. Other times, it’s a plan for an entire chapter. My notes aren’t terribly detailed. I like to leave room to explore, though I will include snippets of dialogue. I love writing dialogue and it always opens up the story and lets me see what’s really happening.

Maybe all of this seems like a lot of work before I even start writing the story, but I believe it will help tremendously in the long run. Granted, it took me two weeks to nail down the outline, but I’m super excited about the results. My daily word count has improved, and I’m hopeful of meeting my goal of releasing FF3 this December.

Now I better get back to work…

Geek Fail

The other day I came across an article in one of my video gaming magazines (yes, I’m an avid gamer—if you haven’t picked up on that yet) praising the goodness of the original Dungeons & Dragons game, and how it served as an inspiration to so many folks in the gaming industry.  After reading the article, I felt a bit bummed because (confession time), I’ve never played D&D.  I never knew anyone who played.  Heck, I didn’t even hear of the game until I was in my twenties.  Considering my interests (writer, fantasy junkie), I think of this as a childhood failing.  And sadly, it’s not my only one.

I’ve seen very few episodes of the original Star Trek.  In my defense, I grew up in house with only three TV stations, and three younger sisters who shared none of my geeky leanings.  Dad was lord of the TV (I would have said remote, but we didn’t have one of those either), and he wasn’t into SciFi.  Although, he and I did watch The Greatest American Hero while it was on.   Looking back now, I smile.  Those were special times.  I wonder…

*heads over to Amazon*

Oh wow, I can get the ENTIRE series for under $20!  Guess what Dad’s getting for his birthday?

I probably shouldn’t bury myself any deeper, but…I didn’t see Star Wars when it was originally released either.  (And yes, I was a kid at the time.)  I did make my husband take me to watch it on the big screen when they re-released the original three movies.  My sister and her husband went with us.  He was a fan; she wasn’t.  My husband and my sister actually fell asleep during the movie.  *sigh*  It’s hard to be a geek when you’re surrounded by non-geeks.

Sadly, I had great potential.  I was in the band and chorus, and ran with the academic crowd in high school.  I went on to major in chemistry and math, with a minor in computer programming.  I love video games, fantasy and scifi.  Yet sadly, I occasionally miss a pop culture reference on The Big Bang Theory.

But all is not lost.  The other day, I picked up a D&D starter set.  My son and I are going to play.  (That poor kid is me made over.  He even plays the same instrument in the band.)  One of these evenings we’re going to invite over some of his friends and work on correcting my childhood shortcomings.

It’s a start.

The Necromancer’s Betrayal – Cover Reveal

And here it is, the cover reveal for FF 2.5, The Necromancer’s Betrayal.  This is another novella featuring James, but unlike The Element of Death, he’s not the only one telling the story.  James shares the spotlight with a new character, and yes, that’s her on the cover.

This story takes place about a month and a half after The Blood Alchemist ended.  James has gone off to college, but the poor guy just can’t seem to stay out of trouble.  And this time, he found it without Addie’s help.  ;)

The Necromancer’s Betrayal is over twice the length of The Element of Death.  (That’s half the length of one of my novels–in case you’re keeping score at home).  I don’t have an exact release date this time, but it goes to the formatter this coming week. So it won’t be long.

I’ll be posting the blurb and an excerpt of the first few chapters on my books page later this week.  In the meantime, I’ve posted a couple of snippets over on my Facebook page if you haven’t had a chance to check those out.  Thanks for following along.  I hope you enjoy this one!

 

Get an Alternative POV Scene from The Final Formula

Ever wonder what Rowan was thinking the first time he met Addie?  Now you can find out!  Just sign up for my newsletter (in the sidebar on the right), and you’ll be given access to Rowan’s thoughts the night he caught Addie in his kitchen, stealing one of his glasses.  :)

As for my newsletter…  Fear not.  Your inbox won’t be bombarded with emails from me.  I’ll only email you with news of a new release, a giveaway, or perhaps the occasional contest.  So unless I learn to write faster, you won’t hear from me that often.

Note – You’ll receive an email that asks you to click a link to confirm your subscription.  Once that is complete, you’ll receive a second email with a link to Rowan’s scene.  (The second email has taken over an hour to arrive for some people.)

Thanks and enjoy!

 

Oh, and what do you think of the new look for my website?  The team at Streetlight Graphics designed it.  Pretty sweet, huh?