Barbara Pietron's Blog, page 8
April 23, 2014
Advice for aspiring writers. Ask the Author Wednesday
I was asked this question at my Blue Frog Books signing event Saturday and thought I’d answer it here for those of you who couldn’t be there. I’m passing on advice that I received and put into practice. If you want to be a writer, write; everyday or as often as possible. Think of yourself as an athlete who trains to stay at the top of their game. Not only will your writing improve, but if you hone your skill you will be better at pushing through writer’s block and – when the day comes – meeting your publisher’s deadlines!
April 16, 2014
Do you base your characters on real people? Ask the Author Wednesday
Yes and no. Almost all of the characters in Thunderstone are loosely based on real people since I actually took that trip to the Mississippi headwaters with a bunch of family. Ice and Nik are completely fictional unfortunately - it would’ve been cool to meet a medicine man and his apprentice! In the other novels I’ve written, the characters are made-up. Sometimes they look like someone I know, or even someone I’ve simply seen. I try to hear how a character’s voice sounds in my head and occasionally it sounds familiar. I may base reactions, characteristics, and affectations on real people to make the characters believable, but more often, as the story progresses, the characters take on a life of their own. That’s when things get really interesting…
April 10, 2014
Upcoming Author Event!
Southfield Public Library in Southfield, MI http://www.southfieldlibrary.org/ in collaboration with BookBeat bookstore.
Wednesday, June 4th 7 p.m.
Caricatures, Cupcakes, and a Creature Join me for a fun-filled evening at the Southfield Library. I’ll have books available for purchase and signing and you can take home a commemorative Thunderstone caricature featuring you! Oh yeah, there will be cupcakes too!
Upcoming Author Events!
Blue Frog Books in Howell, MI http://www.bluefrogbooksandmore.com/
Saturday, April 19th 2 p.m.
Join me and two of my fellow authors from Scribe Publishing – S.J. Lomas, author of the YA novel Dream Girl and Jody Lamb, author of the MG novel Easter Ann Peters’ Operation Cool – for fun a signing event.
Southfield Public Library in Southfield, MI http://www.southfieldlibrary.org/ in collaboration with BookBeat bookstore.
Wednesday, June 4th 7 p.m.
Caricatures, Cupcakes, and a Creature Join me for a fun-filled evening at the Southfield Library. I’ll have books available for purchase and signing and you can take home a commemorative Thunderstone caricature featuring you! Oh yeah, there will be cupcakes too!
April 9, 2014
How do you come up with story ideas? Ask the Author Wednesday
Story ideas are everywhere, if you think in that context. I draw ideas from music, books, TV, social media, conversation, etc… When something sparks my interest, I start asking questions: If a plane disappeared, what might have happened to it? What is a black mirror and what would its purpose be? Some boys in class couldn’t open a water bottle, but Suzy twisted the cap right off – how did that go over? …and then I expand from there. Maybe the thought becomes its own story; maybe it ends up as a scene in a story, but once you start asking questions and using your imagination to provide the answers, you find that life is full of ideas.
April 2, 2014
Do you have a Thunderstone Playlist? Ask the Author Wednesday
In some of the books I read, the author includes a playlist that they listened to while writing the story. I don’t listen to anything while I write. If I play music I know, I want to sing along and I get distracted by the lyrics. However, if Thunderstone had a soundtrack, it would have to be by the band Incubus. So many of their songs can apply to the story – I even started a list of which songs could be used for certain scenes. Maybe I’ll get back to it and post the “Thunderstone Soundtrack”, but for now, just to catch the essence, listen to Quicksand off of Light Grenades by Incubus. Here are the lyrics:
Ok…now the monster is awake
It won’t rest until there’s nothing left
Maybe ever and anon
I forget about the pain
Someone bending light comes along
and flowers lean towards the sun
Some people fall in love and touch the sky
Some people fall in love and find Quicksand
I hover somewhere in between…I swear…
I can’t make up my mind
Seriously? It’s like they wrote it for me…
March 27, 2014
Why Jeni? Ask the Author Wednesday (a day late)
The name Jeni was inspired by a coworker I shared a cubicle with back in my corporate days. Her name was Janelle but she went by Jenny. She was the first person I’d ever met named Janelle and I thought it was interesting that she used Jenny as a nickname. So when I sat down to write my first novel ever (not Thunderstone) I decided my main character would be named Jenelle and go by Jeni. I had to scrap that first story and chalk it up as a learning experience, but I liked Jeni and felt she deserved another adventure so I wrote her into Thunderstone.
March 19, 2014
Ask the Author Wednesday: What were your inspirations for Thunderstone?
Since my first encounter with Greek mythology as a kid, I’ve been fascinated by legends and lore from past ages. Native American beliefs captivate me most of all as they are closest to home. If you’ve checked out the home page on my website, then you know I made the journey to the Mississippi Headwaters with my mom, my three siblings, and their families to spread my dad’s ashes in the river. The wild and unspoiled landscape in northern Minnesota makes it easy to take a step into the Native American frame of reference and imagine their legends coming to life. So after reading many books of Native American myths along with articles and factual references, I decided my story must involve the underwater monster because I wanted to focus on the Mississippi River. Once I put the characters and the villain in my chosen setting, the story began to unfold.
March 12, 2014
Ask the Author Wednesdays Begins
Welcome to the inaugural “Ask the Author Wednesdays” post! I thought it only fitting that I answer the question I am asked the most: How long did it take to write Thunderstone? The short answer is about 9 – 10 months, beginning to end. After that first draft, the story went through a ton of revisions as I tried to catch a literary agent’s eye. I changed the beginning at least a half dozen times because, let’s face it, if the beginning isn’t good, most readers will put the book down. Finally I realized the story truly became interesting when Jeni and Ice meet, so I pulled that scene forward. Even after signing with Scribe, Thunderstone went through one last revision where I combined the events of three days into two days to keep up the pace.
The first time I was asked this question, I was taken by surprise. It never occurred to me that people would want to know how long it took to write the story. The next few times it came up, I floundered around not sure exactly what information people actually wanted. Over time, I’ve come to understand most of the masses want my short answer above. But in my writer’s mind, Thunderstone wasn’t finished until it went to press.
March 6, 2014
My Deleted Scenes gave me an idea…
Right, so the Deleted Scenes got me thinking about the questions people ask about my book and it occurred to me, why not have a Q & A every week? So I’m initiating “Ask the Author Wednesdays”. If you have a question about Thunderstone, the characters, the Mississippi Headwaters, NA mythology, upcoming novels, or even about me – please ask and I will do my best to answer. You can leave a comment here, contact me via my contact page, or comment on FB (www.facebook.com/barbara.pietron.19) …whatever floats your boat!
