R.M. Ridley's Blog, page 33
March 8, 2014
Chapter 2
Chapter One should be on its way to the line editor, and I just bounced Chapter Two back for more content edits. Bit more thinking around corners for the issues in Chapter Two but nothing brain melting.
Chapter One may actually come back from Content, before going to Line, in an effort to make sure the world setting is established a little clearer – that could get tricky.
I thought Chapter Three was waiting for me as well but I was mistaken. This is nice as it takes a little of the stress I had this morning away – but it does sort of shunt it towards the end of the allotted edit time so… win some, lose some.
My editor continues to make me smile and I think I made her smile once or twice so I’ll just hang on to that feeling.
I also managed to do my morning writing today. Not much, only 600 hundred words, but I like that I am still writing the fourth novel while I work on getting the first ready for print. A good sense of continuation and achievement comes from this pairing.
Plus, if I left off of writing’ Corrupted Souls’ while I worked on ‘Tomorrow Wendell’ it would be extremely difficult to get back into the novel’s flow after a few months.
Filed under: Publishing, Writing Tagged: current work in progress, editor, edits, Jonathan Alvey, novel, paranormal private investigator, plot, publish, Tomorrow Wendell, Urban Fantasy, world building, writer, writing, Xchyler Publishing
March 7, 2014
I’d be Delighted – But it is March…Never Trust March
In this house we refer to this month as ‘ the month that shall not be named’ Voldermonth.
Many awful thing happen to us, year after year, always in M…. this month. So after The February we’ve had, I am afraid, very afraid.
Today is sunny and warm – calling for it to actually go just above the freezing mark for the first time in ten – twenty years? All right it’s only been months but still.
My new water pump is to be installed today, and with warm temperatures my pipes might actually thaw and allow us to actually use it.
But it is M … this month. So I’m suspect of this sun, warm, and water. I suspect of the pen beside me – because it is M… this month.
Just to cheer you up though – here is a picture of my St. Bernard and my house hen together on the couch.
Filed under: MIscellaneous Tagged: dog, hen, March, plumping, sunny, suspicious, thaw, Voldermonth, warm
March 5, 2014
Chapter One – Version 3
I have just completed the edits for chapter one. It took about 3 hours to do.
So far there has been no real obstacles. My editor has kept me smiling with her comments and quips and has asked for nothing unreasonable.
It is early days yet – or more accurate early pages. The first chapter is fast paced and fun, so I honestly wasn’t expecting too much difficulty with it. As we go on, I think there will be more bogged down problems and we will find ourselves mired in words.
But that is in the future and as long as we both continue to have fun doing this, we will get through it and have a damn fine novel to show for it.
Filed under: Writing Tagged: editor, edits, Jonathan Alvey, novel, paranormal private investigator, publish, Tomorrow Wendell, Urban Fantasy, Xchyler Publishing
It was Waiting with Beady Little Eyes
So this morning I checked my ‘drop box’ expecting that my editor at Xchyler would have completed her edits of the first chapter.
I wasn’t wrong.
The new version, the one sure to be cocked full of comments, sat there staring back with its beady red eyes. It taunted me silently. I confess — I closed the door and leaned on it, breathing hard.
It had finally come for me. I knew it would and behind it a legion more. But now that it was here…
I retreated. I wrote in the current novel. Yet, I could still feel it’s glare between my shoulder blades.
I must face it. I must girdle myself with creativity and arm myself with a swift, sharp sword.
I will take on this horrid beast and slice the impurity from it.
I will overcome my fear. I will decimate the horde, blow by blow. I will be the victor!
but first… um – I think I’ll get more coffee.
Filed under: Writing Tagged: current work in progress, editor, Jonathan Alvey, novel, paranormal private investigator, plot, Tomorrow Wendell, Urban Fantasy, writing, Xchyler Publishing
March 4, 2014
My girls meet Peter Capaldi ( little Dalek )
Originally posted on amcherryfairy:
Peter capaldi and Jenna Coleman talking to myself and my two daughters. My youngest has autism and when matt smith said he was leaving she was worried, because she goes on adventures with doctor who and Clara and she was worried that the new doctor ( Peter ) would not like her and wouldn’t want to join in her games.
So on our holiday to Cardiff we fell onto pot luck. We had gone for our lunch at eddies diner and came out to find that doctor who was being filmed. We had a chat with the crew and Jenna and Samuel had photos done with the girls. We were told Peter was not coming down for filming. After telling the crew about roxi and her games with dr who ( Matt ) and the worry she has about Peter. We were told to come back the next day.
Filed under: Writing
Cry Havoc and Let Loose the Editors of War!
I have just uploaded the newest version of ‘Tomorrow Wendell’ into my editors hands. GULP!
It will be no time now before I get that first chapter back, so covered in red ink I can’t see the original text under it.
We descend into writer’s hell. Yes ‘We’. As promised I will be taking you along for this ride. I will share the experience with you in all its bloody glory. For this IS War. I battle with myself, under the direction of my general (my editor). The outcome of this, back and forth, battle is for the glory not of me, or my publisher even – but for the novel itself.
That is what all the hard work to come will be for – The novel. For if ‘Tomorrow Wendell’ is not the best it can be, than we, myself and Xchyler publishing, have failed the story and its readers.
It will be hours of grueling edits to accomplish this. But I trust the team I have. They have already proven themselves to me and so I draw my sword and rush into the fray.
Do I go with a gruesome smile on my face? Indeed I do, and with a Battle Cry from my throat – ‘For Alvey!’
Filed under: Writing Tagged: editor, edits, Jonathan Alvey, novel, paranormal private investigator, publish, Tomorrow Wendell, Urban Fantasy, world building, writing, Xchyler Publishing
March 3, 2014
Teachers, Librarians, Parents, Don’t miss this post – Math is Magic!
Win paperbacks, magick wands, and a $25 Gift Card! (see below)
Warrior Faeries and Math Magick
by Susan Kaye Quinn
My new middle grade fantasy, Faery Swap, is about a fourteen-year-old boy who is tricked into swapping places with a warrior faery prince and has to find his way back home before the dimensional window between their worlds slams shut.
2 minute book trailer
In my prior life, I worked for NASA and got a lot of degrees in engineering. (Yes, I really am a rocket scientist and have the Ph.D. to prove it!) I used the logical-left-side of my brain to design aircraft engines and study global warming. Now that I write fiction, I love using the creative-right-side of my brain to create compelling characters and dramatic adventures as well as the logical-left-side to weave math, science, and technology into my stories. Math and science have always seemed wondrous to me, so it made sense to me that the warrior faeries in Faery Swap would steal mathematical knowledge from humans in order to enhance their magickal faery powers.
In my story, knowledge is literally power.
I’m passionate about this message – that knowledge is power and math is magick - and the ethical use of that knowledge is a key theme throughout the story. I wanted to share this message, so I created a Virtual Author Visit, Common-Core-based Teacher’s Guide, and a card-based game, so any teacher, anywhere on the planet, could share this message with their students.
9 minute Virtual Author Visit
In this video, I share my background in science and engineering and talk about the book, then show how humans use math in the real world to do amazing things… even without magick to help them. The Teacher’s Guide, activities, card game, and videos are meant flexible – teachers and librarians can spend as little as 2 minutes sharing the trailer or they can use the materials to create a whole unit around the book and the Knowledge is Power When Math is Magick theme.
My hope is that some of my love for math and science will rub off on young readers, and that kids will see they each have an inner warrior faery capable of seeking knowledge and performing great deeds with it!
(Click here to find out more about the Virtual Author Visit).
Susan Kaye Quinn is the author of the bestselling Mindjack Trilogy, which is young adult science fiction. Faery Swap is her foray into middle grade, which is her first writing love. Her business card says “Author and Rocket Scientist” and she always has more speculative fiction fun in the works. You can subscribe to her newsletter (hint: new subscribers get a free short story!) or stop by her blog to see what she’s up to.
Faery Swap
Kindle | Nook | Print
Fourteen-year-old Finn is tricked into swapping places with a warrior faery prince and has to find his way back home before the dimensional window between their worlds slams shut.
Filed under: Book Release Tagged: activities, card game, Faery Swap, fantasy, Fiction, gift cards, librarians, magic, magick wands, math, Middle school, paperback, parents, Susan Kaye Quinn, teachers, The Teacher's Guide, videos, win prizes
Best Morning in Months
So the third company to come regarding my well system wins the award of New Best Friends.
They yanked my truck out of the way, got their truck in where it needed to be, pulled the old system, and got there truck back out – all without damaging any of the crap that was in the way.
They will probably have to order the new pump, due to power availability and well diameter limiting what they can use from in stock, but I can wait. With the old system gone comes hope, with hope comes renewed patience.
And the best part – their cost estimate … almost half what the first company quoted me.
Yes – damn fine morning this turned out to be.
Filed under: Homesteading
Make Me Care
Isn’t that what everyone asks from a blog – Make Me Care?
I’ve realized this while working on the guest author interviews I’m doing for two different blogs. Each asked it’s own distinct questions, which kept me from getting bored, or my answers monotonous, but working through them I became aware that I was trying to not be boring.
I didn’t want to be boring because I wanted the readers of these blogs to give a damn. I wanted them to find the interviews enjoyable, and informative, both for my promotional chances, and so the host bloggers won’t find themselves posting something that they themselves were not interested in.
Putting together an interview for a blog post is not easy – I know, I’ve done it. Answering them isn’t easy either. It’s like mashing your synopsis and your bio together then taking it apart again strand by strand.
So why do either party participate? In hopes that you – the readers- will enjoy it, will be glad you follow the blog, and maybe – just maybe – look into the author’s book.
It’s why I host about new books. I’m hoping to give you my readers something new to read about. I’m hoping to support the other struggling, indie, authors out there. And I hope I’m giving you glimpses into something you may other wise not come across yourselves.
Basically – as host or guest – I want to make you care
Filed under: MIscellaneous, Writing Tagged: blogging, guest blog, interview, readers, writer
March 2, 2014
Just Ignore the Truck
Yesterday, my neighbour came with his back-hoe and cleared a good swath of my drive so that it would be more assessable to the latest company contacted about replacing the well water system. It was a kind and thoughtful thing.
I had been told by the last company that the latest company (number three) would need to back something that was basically a long pickup in towards the front of my pump house. So after my neighbour left, I get a return call from company three during which, he tells me he’s going to need to get with-in three to four feet of the roof hatch. This is, of course, about three feet more than the last guy said would be needed to be cleared.
It also means that more snow needs to be cleared along the side of the path for more maneuverability. So out I go and shovel a stupid amount of snow. Once that is done I decide, in my infinite wisdom, I’d better make sure I can get my truck in and out as a gauge to see if enough snow has been cleared.
It wasn’t … so more digging – lots more because my truck gets stuck.
Now my truck is stuck in the spot where their equipment needs to go.It snowed quite a bit last night, making brand new snow drifts in the places my neighbour cleared out.
And I can’t think of a way to change any of it.
So now the guy is going to show up tomorrow morning And I’m going to have to say – “Just ignore the stuck truck – if it wasn’t there could you do this job?”
I would be more upset about this, but I’ve already reached the point where I didn’t expect him say he would, or could, do the job anyway. I half expect he’ll tell me that if the other route to the pump house had been cleared he’d could have just backed his rig in that way.
What I didn’t, and still don’t, expect – stuck truck or no – is that I’d have my water issues solved anyway.
Filed under: Homesteading Tagged: company, no hope, plumping, shoveling, snow, truck, water, well
